Word Master - Smart - Verbal Advantage

DOMESTICITY

(n.) domestic activities or life; the quality of being domestic or domesticated

SUPERNAL

(a.) being or coming from on high; of heaven or the spirit. Other synonims: celestial, ethereal

UBIQUITOUS

(a.) being present everywhere at once. Other synonims: omnipresent

CAPTIOUS

(a.) tending to find and call attention to faults. Other synonims: faultfinding

salutary

(a.) tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health. Other synonims: beneficial, good

EVANESCENT

(a.) tending to vanish like vapor

propriety

(n.) correct or appropriate behavior. Other synonims: properness, correctitude

EMANATE

(v.) proceed or issue forth, as from a source; give out (breath or an odor). Other synonims: exhale, give forth

EXPEDITE

(v.) process fast and efficiently; speed up the progress of; facilitate. Other synonims: hasten

exonerate

(v.) pronounce not guilty of criminal charges. Other synonims: acquit, assoil, clear, discharge, exculpate

exculpate

(v.) pronounce not guilty of criminal charges. Other synonims: acquit, assoil, clear, discharge, exonerate

CONVERSANT

(a.) (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly. Other synonims: familiar

IMPERIOUS

(a.) able to deal authoritatively with affairs. Other synonims: masterful

pallid

(a.) abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress; lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness; (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble. Other synonims: pale, wan, sick

ETIOLATED

(a.) (especially of plants) developed without chlorophyll by being deprived of light. Other synonims: etiolate, blanched

oblivious

(a.) (followed by `to' or `of') lacking conscious awareness of; failing to keep in mind. Other synonims: unmindful, forgetful

COMMENSURATE

(a.) corresponding in size or degree or extent

SENESCENT

(a.) growing old. Other synonims: aging, ageing

DEBILITATING

(a.) impairing the strength and vitality

INDEFEASIBLE

(a.) not liable to being annulled or voided or undone

gaunt

(a.) very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold. Other synonims: bony, cadaverous, emaciated, haggard, pinched, skeletal, wasted

NIMROD

(n.) (Old Testament) a famous hunter

PITTANCE

(n.) an inadequate payment

PERPETRATOR

(n.) someone who perpetrates wrongdoing. Other synonims: culprit

milieu

(n.) the environmental condition. Other synonims: surroundings

MENDACITY

(n.) the tendency to be untruthful

DEFRAY

(v.) bear the expenses of

ULULATE

(v.) emit long loud cries. Other synonims: howl, wail, roar, yawl, yaup

emend

(v.) make improvements or corrections to

regale

(v.) provide with choice or abundant food or drink. Other synonims: treat

CAPITULATE

(v.) surrender under agreed conditions

TRITURATE

1 : RUB, GRIND, BRUISE, MASTICATE *triturate one's food* 2 : to rub or grind to a very fine or impalpable powder : pulverize and comminute thoroughly *triturate a drug with a diluent*

plebian

1 : a member of the Roman plebs 2 a : one who is not of noble birth b : a member of the working class : one of the common people *a simple plebeian— C.H.Sykes*

cliche

1 : a stereotype or electrotype; especially : a single stamp of which a number are joined to form a plate for printing a whole sheet of stamps at once 2 a : a trite or stereotyped phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it b : a hackneyed theme, plot, or situation in fiction or drama : an overworked idea or its expression in music or one of the other arts *such photographic clich*s as indicating change of seasons by the transition from snow to fruit in the orchards— John McCarten*. Other synonims: platitude, banality, commonplace, bromide

ABROGATE

1. to abolish by authoritative action : annul 2 to treat as nonexistent <abrogating their responsibilities> Rel word: Remiss, careless, negligent.

MERKIN

2 : false hair for the female genitalia

Actuarial

: Of or relating to actuaries : determined by actuaries : relating to statistical calculation especially of life expectancy *a plan based on actuarial principles*

SCIAMACHY

: a fighting with a shadow : a mock or futile combat (as with an imaginary foe)

COFFLE

: a gang of men or a train of animals fastened together; especially : a group of slaves chained together (as when traveling)

MOHEL

: a person who circumcises male infants in accordance with Jewish ritual

Ailurophile.

A cat fancier : a lover of cats.

GENESIS

A coming into being, beginning, origin, birth, creation. - The first book of the Judeo‑Christian Bible is called Genesis because it describes God's creation, the origin of the universe and humankind. In current usage genesis may refer in a general sense to any creation or process of coming into being: the genesis of an idea; the genesis of a work of art; the genesis of an important social movement; the genesis of a distinguished career.

EMENDATION

A correction, alteration, change made to correct or improve, especially a change made in a piece of writing to correct an error or restore the text to its original state. - The verb to emend means to make corrections in a text. - Emendation may mean the act of emending, correcting and improving a piece of writing, or it may mean a correction made in a text.

MACHINATION

A crafty or treacherous plot, malicious scheme, cunning design or plan to achieve a sinister purpose. - Synonyms of machination include stratagem, conspiracy, contrivance, ruse, and cabal. - Machination comes from the Latin verb machinari, to plot, devise, contrive to do evil, which comes in turn from the noun machina, a device or contrivance for performing work. From the spelling of the Latin machina it's easy to deduce that it is also the source of the familiar and versatile word machine, something devised to perform work. - The Latin machina also appears in a phrase that has been taken whole into English: deus ex machina, which means literally "a god out of a machine." In his delightful book Amo, Amas, Amat: - How to Use Latin to Your Own Advantage and to the Astonishment of Others, Eugene Ehrlich translates deus ex machina as "an unlikely and providential intervention," and explains that the phrase "describes an unexpected occurrence that rescues someone or something from an apparently hopeless predicament." Although deus ex machina is Latin, Ehrlich tells us that "the expression has its origin in ancient Greek theater.... - When the complexities of plot and character appeared incapable of resolution, a god was set down on stage by a mechanical crane to sort out things and make them right." - Our keyword, machination, means a crafty plot, malicious scheme, cunning plan to achieve a sinister purpose, as a machination to seize power. In current usage the singular form is less common than the plural, machinations: "Ralph's deviousness enabled him to climb the company ladder, but when his machinations finally were exposed he found himself demoted to the mailroom." You might think that machinations are confined to the crafty worlds of business and politics and to the sinister arena of international espionage, but the word is also sometimes used in a literary or metaphorical way, in such phrases as "the machinations of love," which can often be a treacherous business, or "the machinations of our dreams," which are often devious, or "the machinations of destiny," which may seem to plot against us. - I shall conclude this crafty lesson with an important pronunciation tip. - Certain educated speakers, probably misled by the sound of the ch in machine, have adopted the pronunciation mashination. This beastly mash ination is a classic example of what happens when people learn the meaning of a word but don't bother to check the pronunciation in a dictionary. They simply looked at machination, saw the word machine inside, and decided to say mashination, blithely assuming that their false analogy was right without pausing to consider that the pronunciation they have just invented might not be the one most educated speakers prefer. - That, in a nutshell, is how eccentric pronunciations are born—and the worst thing about it is that the mispronouncers often flaunt their inventions, as if to show that they have placed their personal stamp on the language by making up a bizarre way to say a word. - Some dictionaries now recognize mashination, but list it after the preferred pronunciation, in which the ch is pronounced like k:.

CHIMERA

A foolish fancy, fantastic notion or idea, figment of the imagination. - Synonyms of chimera include whimsy, crotchet, maggot, and caprice. - In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire‑breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. In modern usage chimera may refer to that monster or a similar fabulous creature, but more commonly it means an absurd and fabulous creation of the mind. A chimera is a vain or idle fancy, an impossible or visionary idea. The corresponding adjective is chimerical, which means imaginary, fantastic, preposterous, absurd.

OBEISANCE

A gesture of respect or submission, or an attitude of respect and submission. - Synonyms of obeisance include deference, homage, adoration, reverence, and veneration. - Obeisance comes from French and means literally obedience. It was once used to mean obedience, or the power or right to demand obedience, but these senses are obsolete. Obeisance now means a respectful, submissive attitude or a deferential gesture, one that shows respect for the superiority of another. - Obeisance is used chiefly of formal situations in which respect or homage is paid to a god, a ruler, a religious leader, or a person of great influence or power. A bow, a curtsy, and a genuflection, a deferential bending of the knee, are all examples of obeisance, a gesture or attitude of respect and submission.

PENCHANT

A liking, leaning, strong inclination, decided taste: "a penchant for sports," "a penchant for poetry," "a penchant for spicy food." - More difficult synonyms of penchant include propensity, a profound, often irresistible inclination; and proclivity, a strong natural or habitual tendency, especially toward something objectionable or wicked. Career criminals have a proclivity for violence. Successful businesspeople have a propensity for discerning the bottom line and making a profit. And many people have a penchant for chocolate, a strong liking, decided taste.

TIRADE

A long‑drawn‑out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one: "After suffering through yet another one of his boss's frequent tirades, Joe decided it was time to quit and move on." - Tirades have three characteristics: they are protracted, drawn out to great length; they are vituperative, full of harsh, abusive language; and they are censorious, meaning that they tend to censure, to blame or condemn. - Tirade may also be pronounced with the accent on the second syllable: - ty‑RAYD.

PITTANCE

A small amount, portion, or share, especially a small or meager amount of money. "Her inheritance was only a pittance"; "He received a pittance for his services"; "Some people will work for a pittance if the job is rewarding." - Think of the pit of a fruit, which is small and hard, and you'll easily remember that a pittance is a small amount of money that is hard to live on.

FOIBLE

A weak point, slight fault or flaw, minor failing, especially a weakness in a person's character. - By derivation foible means the weak part of a sword, and it is related to the word feeble, weak, frail. - A foible is not a serious defect in character but rather a minor flaw or weakness that is usually forgivable: "A penchant for rich desserts is her only foible."

PEDANTIC

Absurdly learned; scholarly in an ostentatious way; making an inappropriate or tiresome display of knowledge by placing undue importance on trivial details, rules, or formalities. - After that definition, you're probably thinking that your guide through Verbal Advantage sometimes is pedantic about language. All right, it's true. As we pedantic types like to say, mea culpa, which is Latin for "my fault." On the other hand, I am also erudite, which as you learned in Level 3 means scholarly, possessing extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books. That's not such a bad combination for someone whose job is to help you navigate the stormy sea of English words. - So, my verbally advantaged friend, if you want to emulate my grandiloquent erudition, then please pardon my pedantry as I explain that the adjective pedantic, and the corresponding nouns pedant and pedantry, come through Italian and Latin from the Greek paidagogos, a tutor of children, the source also of the word pedagogue, which may mean simply a teacher, or a teacher who is narrow‑minded, dogmatic, and—you guessed it—pedantic. - If we further break down the Greek paidagogos, we see that it is composed of pais, paidos, a boy or child, and agein, to lead or conduct, and means literally a leader or conductor of youngsters. For the significance of that derivation, let's turn to the erudite and only occasionally pedantic Century Dictionary. "Among the ancient Greeks and Romans," says the Century, "the pedagogue was originally a slave who attended the younger children of his master, and conducted them to school, to the theater, etc., combining in many cases instruction with guardianship." - This servile tutor of classical antiquity eventually rose to become the modern pedagogue, a teacher or schoolmaster, but a stigma of pedantry— meaning a slavish or dogmatic attention to rules and minor details of learning—remained on the word. Perhaps that explains why, when certain members of the teaching profession went looking for a more dignified word for themselves than teacher, they eschewed pedagogue and settled on three terms: educator, which is a good alternative; educationist, which is a pompous one; and educationalist, which is preposterous. But unless you happen to be a pedagogue, that's neither here nor there, and being the verbose pedant that I am, I digress. - A pedant was originally a pedagogue or teacher, but that sense soon fell into disuse and a pedant became, as the Century Dictionary puts it, "a person who overrates erudition, or lays an undue stress on exact knowledge of detail or of trifles, as compared with larger matters or with general principles." The noun pedantry refers to the manners or actions of a pedant. According to the eighteenth‑century Irish essayist and dramatist Sir Richard Steele, "Pedantry proceeds from much reading and little understanding." Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, defined pedantry as "the overrating of any kind of knowledge we pretend to." And the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote that "pedantry consists in the use of words unsuitable to the time, place, and company." - The adjective pedantic means absurdly learned; scholarly in an ostentatious way; making an inappropriate or tiresome display of knowledge by placing undue importance on trivial details, rules, or formalities.

SENESCENT

Aging, growing old, on the decline. - The adjective senescent comes from the Latin senex, which means "old." Senex is also the source of senile, exhibiting mental impairment due to old age, and senate, which means literally "a council of elders." - Senescent may be used of persons, things, or ideas that are growing old, decrepit, or outworn, as a senescent leader, a senescent forest, a senescent custom, or a senescent industry. - The antonym of senescent is juvenescent, growing younger. The corresponding noun is senescence, which means the process of becoming old or the state of being old. Wrinkles, hair loss, persistent aches and pains, and the inability to remember what you ate for breakfast are all telltale signs of senescence.

OMNIPOTENT

All‑powerful, almighty, having unlimited power or authority. - Omnipotent is formed from the word potent, powerful, and the combining form omni‑, all. Whenever you see omni‑ in a word you have a good clue to its meaning, for you know that half the word means "all." - For example, omnidirectional means all‑directional, as an omnidirectional microphone, one that picks up signals from all directions. Omnipresent means all‑present, present everywhere at once. Omniscient means all‑knowing, having universal knowledge. Omnivorous means eating all kinds of food or taking in everything: "She is an avid reader with an omnivorous mind." Our keyword, omnipotent, means all‑powerful, almighty.

ALLEGATION

An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof. - In law, an allegation is an assertion of what one intends to prove. Often the word implies an unsupportable assertion: "The judge dismissed the allegations, citing lack of evidence to support them." "A spokesperson for the company today denied the allegations of wrongdoing regarding the firm's hiring practices."

ALOOF

Apart, at a distance, removed, withdrawn, not wishing to speak or associate with others. - The aloof person is emotionally reserved and keeps a cool distance from others. Aloofness means reluctance to get involved or take an interest in something. - Synonyms of aloof include unsympathetic, unapproachable, standoffish, and indifferent.

PERSONABLE

Attractive, pleasing in appearance, handsome, comely, fair, presentable. - In recent years, personable has come to be used to mean having a nice personality. You should avoid using the word in that way. The words sociable, affable, and amiable already suggest people who are friendly, pleasant, and approachable. There is no need for personable to take over this sense. An awkward or unbecoming person, no matter how friendly and pleasant, cannot correctly be personable. Reserve personable for someone who is either attractive in appearance or attractive both in appearance and personality.

PLIANT

Bending easily, flexible, adaptable, workable. - Pliant comes from the French plier, to bend, the same source as pliers, the tool commonly used for bending or manipulating wires or metal pieces. - Pliant, pliable, and supple all mean bending or moving easily. Pliant and pliable usually refer to objects that are easily workable. Supple may apply to material things or to a human body that is flexible and limber.

ONEROUS

Burdensome, troublesome, oppressive, hard to bear, difficult to accomplish or endure: an onerous task, an onerous assignment. - Onerous comes from the Latin onus, a load, burden. Directly from the Latin comes the English word onus, a burden, obligation, especially a disagreeable responsibility. Onerous means like an onus, and therefore burdensome, troublesome, difficult to accomplish or endure.

DEMONSTRABLE

Capable of being demonstrated, able to be proved. - Demonstrable is the noun corresponding to the verb to demonstrate. - Demonstrable facts can be demonstrated, presented clearly and shown to be true. A demonstrable statement or opinion is one that can be proved. - Because that which is demonstrable can be demonstrated or proved, the word has also come to be used to mean obvious, apparent, self‑evident, as in a demonstrable liar, a demonstrable fool: "When Joe asked Sheila if she would have dinner with him, she took it as a sign of his demonstrable interest in her."

PRUDENT

Cautious, careful, planning wisely, exercising sound judgment in practical matters. - Synonyms include discreet, judicious, and circumspect. - Prudent may also mean spending carefully, using one's resources wisely. - Synonyms of prudent in this sense include thrifty, economical, and frugal. - Prudent and circumspect both refer to people who proceed cautiously. - Circumspect comes from the Latin circum‑, around, and specere, to look, observe. The circumspect person looks around carefully to make sure that no unforseen circumstance will frustrate a plan of action. Prudent comes from the same Latin source as the verb to provide. Prudent people are concerned with protecting their personal interest and providing for a rainy day. They are characterized by their sound, careful judgment in handling practical matters, especially money.

COMPLICITY

Conspiracy, partnership in wrongdoing, criminal participation, direct association in guilt, the state of being an accomplice. - Conspiracy, confederacy, collusion, and complicity all refer to partnership or participation in disreputable or illegal activities. - Conspiracy means the act of plotting and cooperating secretly, especially to achieve an unlawful, evil, or treacherous purpose, as a conspiracy to commit murder. - Confederacy refers to people, groups, states, or nations united for a common purpose. It may be used neutrally to mean simply an alliance, as "OPEC is a confederacy of Middle Eastern oil‑exporting countries." Quite often, however, confederacy is used in a negative sense to mean an alliance in wrongdoing, as "a confederacy of terrorists bent on overthrowing the government." - A collusion is a specific type of conspiracy: a secret understanding in which one person or group plays into another's hands with the aim of defrauding a third party. For example, if witnesses in a legal trial or parties to a negotiation are in collusion, they are cooperating secretly while appearing to be adversaries. - Here it seems appropriate to digress for a moment to discuss the noun connivance and the verb to connive, which today are often used interchangeably with collusion and the verb to collude. Strictly and traditionally, however, these words are not synonymous. - Connivance and connive come from the Latin connivere, to wink at, and by derivation suggest the act of winking at wrongdoing. Originally, and in my opinion properly, to connive is not to conspire or cooperate secretly in an unlawful act but to wink at it, to pretend not to see it or know about it and so give tacit consent or encouragement: "They bribed the doorman so he would connive at the burglary"; "The police department connived at organized crime in the city." - In like manner, connivance properly means the act of conniving, feigning ignorance of wrongdoing: "Illegal gambling would not exist in this town without the connivance of the authorities"; "When investigators exposed the plot to embezzle company funds, they accused the vice president of connivance." - I should point out here that my opinion of how connive and connivance should be used is puristic, and to a certain extent wishful thinking. All current dictionaries countenance scheme, plot, and conspire as synonyms of connive and sanction conspiracy as a synonym of collusion. My point in raising this issue is not so much to condemn a minor implosion of language as it is to make you aware of the traditional definitions of connive and connivance, which current dictionaries also countenance but which you may not have known until now. My aim is not to prevent you or anyone else from using connive to mean to plot or conspire. My simple, earnest hope is only that you will learn and remember its other, original meaning: "to feign ignorance of wrongdoing." - And now back to our keyword, complicity. It comes from the Latin complicare, to fold up or fold together, the source also of the words complicate, which means literally "to fold or twist together," and accomplice, which means literally "a person who is folded up" and therefore involved. - Whereas connivance suggests passive cooperation in something unlawful, complicity denotes active participation or partnership in wrongdoing, the state of being an accomplice: "When charged with conspiracy, the defendant professed his innocence and denied any complicity in the plot."

COLLOQUIAL

Conversational; pertaining to, characteristic of, or used in spoken language; hence, informal, casual, natural. - Colloquial, colloquium, and colloquy all come from the Latin loqui, which means to speak, converse. Loqui is also the source of the word loquacious, extremely talkative. - The noun colloquy is a dignified synonym for conversation, but while conversation may apply to any exchange of spoken words, colloquy usually refers to a more formal or intellectual discussion, the kind of talk that occurs between scholars or on television shows where journalists analyze the news. When you or I talk with people at a party or over dinner, that's a conversation, but when William F. Buckley, Jr., talked with his guests on "Firing Line," that was a colloquy. - The noun colloquium means a gathering in which a colloquy takes place, a conference or meeting for discussion, specifically a relatively informal meeting for the purpose of exchanging views on a subject. - The adjective colloquial means conversational, of the spoken language, and therefore informal or casual. Remember vernacular, word 15 of this level? Colloquial speech is speech that uses the vernacular, the common, everyday language of ordinary people. - The corresponding noun colloquialism means a colloquial expression, a bit of vernacular language, a word or phrase used in common, everyday, informal speech. There are many thousands of colloquialisms in the language, and you probably use dozens—maybe even hundreds—of them every day without thinking twice about it. For example, every time you say yeah instead of yes you are using a colloquialism, an expression more appropriate to informal speech than to more formal speech and writing. - Here's a dictionary usage tip: The next time you look up a word and preceding the definition you see the abbreviation coll. or colloq., that means the word—or the word used in that particular sense—is a colloquialism, and you may reasonably infer that it is characteristic of colloquial or conversational language. - In concluding this discussion, I would like to stress that colloquial speech and colloquialisms are not necessarily substandard or illiterate, as some ultrapurists might have you believe. To begin with, without the colloquial the English vocabulary would be circumscribed and stiff, and if there were some way to outlaw the use of colloquialisms then communication between people of different backgrounds and levels of education would soon become impossible. Then it probably would not be long before English went the way of Latin—into extinction. Most of our communication is spoken, not written, and a liberal dose of colloquial or conversational words and expressions is what keeps a language fluid, fresh, and vital. - Of course, not all colloquialisms are useful or acceptable to all speakers. - Some colloquialisms are objectionable because they suggest uneducated or coarse informality. A classic example of that sort is the word ain't. Other colloquialisms are objectionable because they're illogical, and here perhaps the best example is the expression "I could care less," which is commonly used in colloquial or informal speech to mean "I could not care less." If you can care less, then that means you still have some caring left in you, whereas if you cannot care less, then you do not care at all, which is the sense those who use the improper colloquialism mean to convey. - The point is, there are relatively few examples of exceptionable colloquial language. The vast majority of colloquial or informal expressions are not only acceptable but also useful and even necessary in conducting our day‑to‑day communication.

DIURNAL

Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day. - Diurnal comes from the Latin diurnus, belonging to or lasting for a day. - The ocean's tides and the rotation of the earth are diurnal; their cycles are completed in the course of a day. At work your diurnal duties are the tasks you perform every day. If your coworker Joanne complains every day about not getting a raise, that's her diurnal complaint. Perhaps if Joanne made reading Verbal Advantage part of her diurnal routine, she might eventually get that raise and get off your back. - Diurnal is also used to mean active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active during the night.

DEFUNCT

Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use. - Defunct comes from the Latin defunctus, dead, departed, finished. A defunct law is no longer in existence or effect; a defunct organization is no longer functioning or doing business; a defunct factory is no longer in operation; a defunct procedure is no longer in use; a defunct species is extinct; a defunct expression is no longer in use; a defunct idea is no longer useful or popular; and a defunct person is dead.

PRECOCIOUSNESS

Early development or maturity, especially in mental ability. - The noun precociousness and the adjective precocious come from the Latin praecox, which means premature, or literally, "ripening before its time." Precocious is most often used of children whose intellectual or emotional development is unusually advanced. Precociousness, early development, is the opposite of retardation, slowness in development.

VACUOUS

Empty, vacant; devoid of substance, interest, intelligence, expression, or meaning. - Synonyms of vacuous include blank, unintelligent, shallow, stupid, senseless, inane, and fatuous. The corresponding noun is vacuity, emptiness, an absence of matter or intellectual content. - Vacuous comes from the Latin vacuus, empty. In modern usage vacuous is not used where empty or vacant would be appropriate. An empty box or a vacant apartment cannot be described as vacuous. - Vacuous usually applies to a figurative lack of content, meaning, or interest. - We speak of vacuous eyes, a vacuous discussion, a vacuous mind, a vacuous remark, or a vacuous proposal.

PRODIGIOUS

Enormous, huge, tremendous, immense; extraordinary in size, extent, force, or degree. - Synonyms of prodigious include mammoth, monumental, colossal, gargantuan, elephantine, herculean, and Brobdingnagian. - The last four synonyms are interesting words worthy of brief comment. - Gargantuan comes from the name Gargantua, the hero of the famous satirical romance by Franois Rabelais, published in 1532. Gargantua, says the Century Dictionary, is "a giant of inconceivable size, who could drink a river dry. The name is doubtless from Spanish garganta, [throat], gullet." In modern usage gargantuan sometimes suggests gluttony, as a gargantuan feast, but it is perhaps most often used as a stronger synonym of gigantic or enormous, as a gargantuan house or a gargantuan achievement. - Elephantine may mean pertaining to an elephant, but the word is most commonly used to mean resembling an elephant, and therefore huge, heavy, and awkward. - A person may be of elephantine proportions or walk with an elephantine gait. A king‑sized bed or an overlarge couch might also be described as elephantine, suitable for an elephant, immense. - The adjective herculean comes from the name Hercules, the famous hero of Greek mythology renowned for his great feats of strength and courage. By derivation herculean means worthy or characteristic of the mighty Hercules. A herculean task demands all your strength and stamina; a herculean effort is a mighty, powerful effort. - The unusual word Brobdingnagian refers to the gigantic inhabitants of the imaginary land of Brobdingnag in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, or to anyone or anything equally enormous. Because of its literary flavor and peculiar sound, Brobdingnagian is probably best reserved for situations in which you want to achieve a humorous or satirical effect. For example, when your very large, very formidable Aunt Eloise makes her thunderous entrance at your next family reunion, you might greet her by saying, "My dear, you look positively Brobdingnagian this evening!" The antonym of Brobdingnagian is the more familiar word Lilliputian, which also comes to us from Swift's Gulliver's Travels. - And now back to our keyword. Prodigious comes through the Latin prodigiosus, strange, wonderful, marvelous, from prodigium, an omen, portent, sign. From the same source we have inherited the word prodigy, a person of marvelous talent or wonderful ability. - Since about 1600, prodigious has been used to mean huge, enormous, of extraordinary size or extent, and also marvelous, wonderful, phenomenal, causing wonder or amazement. In modern usage the context often suggests both senses: a prodigious talent is both enormous and amazing; a prodigious accomplishment is both phenomenal and huge; prodigious energy is both astonishing and tremendous; and a prodigious event or a prodigious undertaking is often both extraordinary and wonderful. - When you think of the word prodigious, consider this: William Shakespeare composed twenty of his plays in only ten years, an output that can only be described as prodigious.

HYPERBOLE

Exaggeration in speech or writing; especially, extravagant exaggeration that is intentional and obvious. - The corresponding adjective is hyperbolic, or, less often, hyperbolical. - Occasionally, you will hear an educated speaker who has learned this word from reading, but who has not bothered to check its pronunciation in a dictionary, say hyperbowl. Any sports fan will tell you that there's a Super Bowl, a Sugar Bowl, a Cotton Bowl, and a Rose Bowl, but there is no Hyper Bowl. The only recognized pronunciation is hy‑PUR‑buh‑lee, and anything else is downright beastly. - Hyperbole comes from a Greek word meaning an excess, something that overshoots the mark. This Greek word comes in turn from a verb meaning to exceed or throw beyond. By derivation, hyperbole is extravagant language that exceeds what is necessary or overshoots the mark. - As Bergen Evans explains in his Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage, "Hyperbole is the term in rhetoric for obvious exaggeration. - There is no intent to deceive. The extravagant language is for emphasis only." - Because hyperbole heightens the effect of what we say without obscuring its meaning, it's a popular rhetorical device, and many of the most shopworn expressions in the language are hyperbolic. Here are just a few examples of hackneyed hyperbole: I owe you a million thanks; she waited for an eternity; he was eternally grateful; we are forever indebted to you; I am so tired I could sleep for a week; they ran faster than lightning; he's as strong as an ox; your briefcase weighs a ton; my feet are killing me; he said he'd do it or die trying. These and many more hyperbolic expressions are acceptable in informal speech and excusable in the most casual forms of writing, but in situations that demand more formal and precise expression, or in which an exaggerated effect would be inappropriate, they should be scrupulously avoided. - Not all hyperbole is cliché. There are many memorable statements, withering insults, and powerful speeches that manifest an original, effective, and often striking use of hyperbole. In The Elements of Speechwriting and Public Speaking, Jeff Scott Cook defines hyperbole as "an exaggeration used to emphasize a point," and offers the following examples, among others: - Former Texas senator, vice‑presidential candidate, and secretary of the treasury Lloyd Bentsen once said, "The thrift industry is really in terrible shape. It's reached the point where if you buy a toaster, you get a free savings and loan." - Faye Wattleton, former president of Planned Parenthood, once said, "Those 'just say no' [to sex] messages are about as effective at preventing [teen] pregnancy as saying 'have a nice day' prevents chronic depression." - And the actor Robert Redford once quipped hyperbolically, "If you stay in Beverly Hills too long, you become a Mercedes." - Some of the finest English poetry ever written also makes stunning use of hyperbole. One of Shakespeare's most glorious and hyperbolic passages occurs in Antony and Cleopatra, when Enobarbus describes the wondrous, irresistible beauty of Cleopatra, who has sailed down the river Cydnus on an opulent barge. Here is a selection from that passage: - The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water: the poop was beaten gold; Purple the sails, and so perfum'ed that The winds were lovesick with them.... - The city cast Her people out upon her; and Antony, Enthroned i' th' marketplace, did sit alone, Whistling to th' air; which, but for vacancy, Had gone to gaze on Cleopatra too, And made a gap in nature.

PERIPHERAL

External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not essential, irrelevant. - The noun periphery means the boundary, the external surface or area. It may be used literally, as in "exploring the periphery of the polar icecap," "situated on the periphery of the combat zone"; or it may be used figuratively, as in "the periphery of consciousness," "the periphery of one's sphere of influence." - Peripheral may mean external in the literal sense of lying at the edge or on the boundary, or external in the figurative sense of irrelevant, nonessential, as peripheral issues, a peripheral point, or peripheral considerations.

BLANDISHMENT

Flattering or coaxing speech or action; an ingratiating remark or gesture. - Blandishment comes through Middle English and Old French from the Latin verb blandiri, to flatter, caress, coax, which comes in turn from the adjective blandus, which means flattering, fondling, caressing. By derivation, blandishment means speech or action that flatters, fondles, coaxes, or caresses in an attempt to win over or persuade a person. - In current usage the word is usually employed in its plural form, blandishments, which the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary defines as "soft words and artful caresses." Unlike flattery, which is generally perceived as self‑serving, blandishments are not necessarily insincere. They may be expressions of honest affection, kindness, or desire. When you offer blandishments to your boss, to a friend, to your spouse, or to your lover, you are using gentle flattery and kind words to butter that person up. - The corresponding verb is blandish, to coax with flattering or ingratiating statements or actions.

PROLIFIC

Fruitful, fertile, productive. - Antonyms of prolific include unproductive, barren, sterile, impotent, and effete. - Prolific comes from a Latin word meaning offspring, children, progeny. - Prolific may mean producing many offspring or much fruit, as a prolific family or a prolific orchard. It may also mean producing many products of the mind, as a prolific writer, a prolific composer. A prolific worker is a productive worker, one whose labor bears much fruit. A prolific period is a fruitful period, one marked by inventiveness and productivity.

PUGNACIOUS

Given to fighting, combative, quarrelsome, ready and willing to fight. - Challenging synonyms of pugnacious include contentious, belligerent, and bellicose. - Antonyms include peaceable, clement, and amicable. - Pugnacious comes from the Latin pugnare, to box, fight with the fists, and still has the connotation of someone ready to put up his dukes. From the same Latin pugnare, to fight, we inherit the word pugilist, a boxer, someone who fights with his fists.

NOCTIVAGANT

Going about in the night : night-wandering.

INTRACTABLE

Hard to manage or control, stubborn, unruly. - Antonyms of intractable include obedient, compliant, malleable, docile, and tractable. - The antonyms tractable and intractable come from the Latin tractare, to drag around, haul, and also to manage, control. The familiar words traction and tractor come from the same source. - Both tractable and intractable are used chiefly of persons rather than things: Tractable means obedient, compliant, easily managed; intractable means stubborn, unruly, hard to manage or control.

SUPERCILIOUS

Haughty, proud, scornful, contemptuous, disdainful. - Supercilious comes from the Latin super‑, meaning "over, above," and cilium, eyebrow; by derivation it means with raised eyebrows, and therefore proud, haughty, disdainful. Supercilious suggests the proud, contemptuous attitude or expression of someone who thinks he's superior and who looks down at others with scorn: "Lucy's new supervisor had seemed quite amiable in her interview, but to her dismay she soon found out he had a supercilious way of assigning her a project and then telling her, 'If I were you, I'd do it like this.'"

PROBITY

Honesty, integrity; fairness, straightforwardness, and sincerity in one's dealings with others. - Synonyms of probity include uprightness, trustworthiness, scrupulousness, veracity, and rectitude. - Antonyms include improbity, the direct opposite of probity, and also dishonesty, deceitfulness, unscrupulousness, duplicity, malfeasance, and perfidy. Perfidy means a breach of faith, treachery. - Honesty implies truthfulness and an unwillingness to lie, deceive, or do wrong. Integrity implies trustworthiness, reliability, and moral responsibility. - Probity implies unshakable honesty and integrity; the man or woman of probity has been put to the test and found to be incorruptibly honest and upright, through adherence to the highest principles of conduct.

PERFUNCTORY

Mechanical, routine, listless, done merely as a duty, performed in an indifferent, halfhearted, superficial, and often careless way, without interest or enthusiasm. - Perfunctory comes from a Latin verb meaning to get through, be done with. The perfunctory worker is just trying to get through doing the job; the perfunctory teacher just wants to be done with the lesson; a perfunctory speech is mechanical, routine, delivered in a halfhearted, listless manner.

JOVIAL

Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun‑loving, jolly, convivial. - The exclamation "by Jove!" means literally "by Jupiter," the name of the chief deity in Roman mythology, called Zeus by the ancient Greeks. From Jove, who was renowned for his love of feasting and merriment, we inherit the word jovial, literally like Jove, merry, good‑humored, convivial.

BLATANT

Noisy, disagreeably or offensively loud, boisterous, clamorous: "the blatant sound of horns honking in heavy traffic." - Blatant is also used to mean sticking out in a glaring way, obtrusive, flagrant, as in "a blatant lie," "a blatant error," "a blatant attempt to impress the boss." - In either sense, blatant suggests something conspicuous and disagreeable.

out

Other synonims: come out, retired, come out of the closet, extinct, knocked out, kayoed, KO'd, stunned, forbidden, prohibited, proscribed, taboo, tabu, verboten, away

be

Other synonims: follow, live, beryllium, glucinium, atomic number 4, exist, constitute, represent, make up, comprise, equal, embody, personify, cost

IMPECCABLE

Perfect, faultless, flawless; free from faults or imperfections. Also, unable to do wrong, incapable of sin. - Equally challenging synonyms of impeccable include unimpeachable and irreproachable. Challenging antonyms of impeccable include reprehensible, censurable, and culpable. - Earlier in this level I told you about the prefix in‑, which may mean "in" or "into" or have a privative function, depriving or taking away the meaning of what follows. Impeccable combines this privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," with the Latin peccare, to make a mistake, do wrong, blunder, sin. By derivation, impeccable means not able to make a mistake, incapable of sinning or doing wrong; hence, perfect, faultless. - Now, if you've been reading carefully I bet you're wondering why in the world I'm talking about the prefix in‑ when the prefix in impeccable is im‑. - Well, my verbally advantaged friend, your exemplary guide through the oddities of the English language has the answer, and here it is: - When the prefix in‑ is attached to a word beginning with the letter b, p, or m, the n changes to an m. Thus, imbalanced means not balanced; impossible means not possible; and immutable means not mutable, not changeable, fixed. Similarly, when the prefix in‑ appears before a word beginning with l or r, the n changes to an l or an r: illogical means not logical; irreproachable means not reproachable, without fault or blame, and therefore impeccable, perfect, flawless. - So now that you know how the spelling of the prefix in‑ changes, I suppose you're wondering why it changes. The answer is simple: ease of pronunciation. If we had to say in peccable and in reproachable, it would be not only in logical but also nearly in possible. The altered spelling of the prefix makes these and dozens of other words easier to pronounce. - Now let's take a look at the closely related words impeccable, immaculate, and infallible, all of which employ the privative prefix in‑, meaning not. - The adjective fallible comes from the Latin verb fallere, to deceive, lead astray, cause to make a mistake. In modern usage fallible means capable of error or likely to be wrong, as human beings are fallible creatures. Attach the prefix in‑to fallible and you have the word infallible, not fallible, not capable of making an error, unable to fail. As your infallible guide through Verbal Advantage, I assure you that this program is an infallible method of building your vocabulary. - The unusual noun macula means a spot or stain. Its direct Latin root, macula, meant either a physical spot or blotch or a moral blemish, a stain on one's character. In current usage macula refers specifically either to a blemish on the skin or to a sunspot; the corresponding adjective maculate means stained, blemished, impure, corrupt. Attach the prefix in‑ to the adjective maculate and you have the word immaculate, not maculate, unstained, spotless. An immaculate house is spick‑and‑span; an immaculate complexion has no blemishes; an immaculate reputation or background is spotless, clean as a whistle. In Roman Catholicism, the Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was miraculously conceived without the moral stain of original sin. - And now for our keyword, impeccable. From its Latin root, peccare, to make a mistake, blunder, sin, English has also inherited three other words: - the noun peccadillo means a small sin, minor fault or flaw; the adjective peccant means guilty, sinful, culpable; and the adjective peccable means liable to sin or do wrong. Slap the privative prefix in‑ onto the unfortunate peccable and you have its more pleasant antonym, impeccable, incapable of sin, unable to do wrong, and therefore free from all faults or imperfections. Impeccable taste is faultless; impeccable speech is flawless; an impeccable performance is perfect.

OBLIGATORY

Required, necessary, binding, mandatory. - Obligatory duties are those you must perform to fulfill an obligation or responsibility. Doing miscellaneous paperwork is an obligatory function of the clerical worker. - Do not pronounce the initial "o" in obligatory like the "o" in open. Pronounce it like the "a" in above.

SANCTIMONIOUS

Self‑righteous; holier‑than‑thou; characterized by insincere or affected righteousness, virtuousness, or religious piety. - Sanctimonious comes from the Latin sanctus, holy, sacred, and the word was once used to mean holy or sacred. In modern usage, however, sanctimonious refers to insincere, affected, or hypocritical holiness or righteousness. People who are sanctimonious come off as self‑righteous and holier‑than‑thou but do not practice what they preach. - The corresponding noun is sanctimony, righteousness or virtuousness that is affected or hypocritical. - happy as a clam between a rock and a hard place eternally grateful to fight tooth and nail to do it or die trying pain in the neck to throw up one's hands 35.Which word does not precisely apply to a sanctimonious person? - hypocritical disingenuous unctuous redoubtable affected Answers Evaluation A score of 30-35 is excellent. If you answered fewer than thirty questions correctly in this test, review the entire level and take the test again. - Level 8 In this level the going gets even tougher, but the tough keep on going. Are you ready for a real word‑power workout? - If you've been adhering to a daily routine of reading and reviewing the material, as I recommended in the introduction, then by now you have approximately tripled your normal rate of vocabulary growth by adding dozens of new words to your active vocabulary and resurrecting others from your passive vocabulary. - If you haven't been sticking to a routine, however, don't be discouraged. - Even if you've been reading off and on and occasionally neglecting to review, it's still likely that since you began studying this book you've assimilated many more words than you would have in the same amount of time without the benefit of a disciplined, graduated program. And the fact that you've made it this far indicates that you're serious about improving your verbal skills and making a commendable effort to expand the boundary of your vocabulary. - So, can you feel your verbal muscles getting firmer? Have you been test‑driving some of your new words in your writing and conversation? I hope so, and I also hope that each time you try out a new word you will make sure to double‑check its definition and pronunciation in a dictionary to verify that you are using and saying it right. - Now let me tell you what you can expect from the last three levels of Verbal Advantage. The keywords, synonyms, antonyms, and related words that you will learn in Level 8 fall approximately between the 80th and 90th percentile of the English vocabulary. The words in Levels 9 and 10 range from the 90th to 99th percentile. What that means is that from here on in, we will be covering a selection of the most intellectually demanding words in the language, which are understood and used by the best‑educated and most well‑read members of society. - So prepare to be challenged by what you're about to learn in these last three levels, and hang on to your hat, or your seat, or something firm nearby, because the leisurely segment of our linguistic tour is over. From here on I intend to proceed with celerity, and I hope you will follow me with alacrity. - If you're already hurrying to keep up with the words celerity and alacrity, don't worry, because I'm going to tell you about them right now, as we begin our first set of ten keyword discussions.

LEGACY

Something handed down from the past, an inheritance. - Legacy may be used in two ways. It may mean a gift of money or property provided by a will, an inheritance, bequest: "Her wealthy uncle left her a generous legacy." It may also mean anything inherited or passed down through time: "The cultural legacy of ancient Greece and Rome has shaped Western civilization."

SURREPTITIOUS

Stealthy; characterized by secrecy and caution; done, made, obtained, or enjoyed in a secret and often sly or shifty manner, so as to avoid notice. - Synonyms of surreptitious include crafty, furtive, covert, underhand, and clandestine. Antonyms include evident, unconcealed, overt, aboveboard, and manifest. - Stealthy, furtive, clandestine, covert, and surreptitious all mean secret, hidden from the knowledge or view of others. Let's examine their connotations in order. - Stealthy is used of any secret or deceptive action that is careful, quiet, slow, and designed to conceal a motive: a cat stalks its prey in a stealthy manner; she heard the stealthy footsteps of a prowler outside the house. - Furtive adds to stealthy the suggestion of quickness and cunning. The word comes from the Latin furtum, theft, and that which is furtive exhibits the craftiness, dishonesty, and evasiveness of a thief: "Their furtive glances at each other during the meeting convinced Jim that there was something fishy about the deal"; "Suzanne knew her date with Arnold was going to be a disaster when she caught him making a furtive attempt to look down the front of her dress." - Clandestine applies to that which is done secretly to conceal an evil, immoral, or illicit purpose: a clandestine love affair; a clandestine plot to overthrow the government. - Covert applies to anything deliberately covered up or disguised, and often suggests an effort to conceal something illegal or unethical. When we speak of an undercover operation, we usually mean a secret operation sanctioned by law, but when we speak of a covert operation, we usually mean one that is kept secret because it is criminal or corrupt. - I'd like to take a moment to explain why I prefer and recommend the pronunciation KUH‑vurt. This is the traditional pronunciation, and it was the only way of saying the word recognized by dictionaries until the 1960s. - Since then—and especially since the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s, when "KOH‑vurt operation" was heard repeatedly on radio and television— the variant KOH‑vurt has become so popular that several dictionaries now list it first. - Although few people today are aware that KUH‑vurt was the earlier and only standard pronunciation, dictionaries still list KUH‑vurt and many older educated speakers prefer KUH‑vurt out of respect for the word's tradition, which dates back to the fourteenth century. If you'd rather go with the flow on this issue, that's fine—no one can say you're wrong; however, keep in mind that while KOH‑vurt is recognized by current dictionaries, another popular variant, koh‑VURT, is often not listed at all. On the other hand, if you are not afraid to distinguish yourself as a cultivated speaker at the risk of raising a few eyebrows, then I invite you to join me in the righteous cause of preserving the traditional pronunciation, KUH‑vurt. - And now let's wind up this not‑so‑undercover discussion with a look at our keyword, surreptitious. It comes from a Latin word meaning stolen, kidnapped, and ultimately from the Latin verb surripere, to snatch, pilfer, take away or withdraw secretly. By derivation surreptitious means snatched while no one is looking, and in modern usage the word combines the deliberate, cautious secrecy suggested by stealthy with the crafty, evasive secrecy suggested by furtive. That which is surreptitious is done or acquired under the table, in a sly or shifty way, so as to avoid detection: - "For years Paul was so surreptitious about his drinking that no one at work knew he had a problem"; "The general decided to launch a surreptitious attack under cover of darkness"; "Larry was afraid the IRS would find out about his surreptitious real estate deals."

VOLUBLE

Talkative, talking much and easily, characterized by a great and continuous flow of words. - Synonyms of voluble include long‑winded, glib, garrulous, loquacious, verbose, and effusive. - Antonyms include reticent, terse, laconic, and taciturn. - Voluble refers to a person who talks freely and easily, and usually at great length. It may also mean characterized by a great and continuous flow of words; in this sense either speech or writing may be voluble.

VANGUARD

The forefront of an action or movement, leading position or persons in a movement: "They were in the vanguard of the war on poverty." - In its strict military sense, vanguard means the troops moving at the head of an army, the part of the army that goes ahead of the main body, an advance guard.

DENOUEMENT

The unraveling or resolution of a plot, as of a novel or a drama; the outcome or resolution of any complex situation. - As you can tell from its vowel‑laden spelling and nasalized final syllable, denouement comes from French. The word means literally "an untying," as of a knot. Since its introduction into English in the mid‑1700s, denouement has been used to mean the untying or unraveling of a narrative or dramatic plot, the final sequence of events leading to a resolution of the story. - The Century Dictionary offers this illustrative quotation from the Saturday Review: "The end, the climax, the culmination, the surprise, the discovery, are all slightly different in meaning from that ingenious loosening of the knot of intrigue which the word denouement implies." In current usage, denouement has also come to apply to the outcome or resolution of any complex situation, as the denouement of a sensational trial, or the denouement of the negotiations.

PROLETARIAT

The working class, especially the industrial wage‑earning class, which earns its living by manual labor. The adjective is proletarian, of or relating to the working class. - In the philosophy of Karl Marx, the famous exponent of communism, the proletariat comprises those members of society without property or capital who must sell their labor to survive. Proletariat comes through French from the Latin proletarius, which means a Roman citizen of the lowest class. Today the word is still used to mean the lowest and poorest class of people in any society.

TENUOUS

Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis. - At high altitudes, air is tenuous, thin. In chemistry, certain fluids or compounds are said to be tenuous, not dense. In general, nonscientific usage, tenuous refers to something weak or flimsy, that has little substance or strength: a tenuous grip, a tenuous proposal, a tenuous argument, or tenuous construction.

REPROBATE

Thoroughly bad, wicked, corrupt, morally abandoned, lacking all sense of decency and duty. - Synonyms of reprobate include unprincipled, shameless, base, vile, degenerate, depraved, irredeemable, and incorrigible. Antonyms include virtuous, pure, righteous, honorable, chaste, unsullied, and exemplary. - Reprobate comes from the Latin reprobare, to reprove, disapprove of strongly. In theology, the adjective reprobate means damned, predestined for damnation, and the noun a reprobate means a person rejected by God and excluded from salvation. - In general usage, the noun a reprobate means a corrupt, unprincipled person, a scoundrel, and the adjective reprobate means morally abandoned, bad‑to‑the‑core, lacking all sense of decency and duty.

NEGLIGIBLE

Unimportant, trifling, of little consequence. - That which is negligible can be neglected. A negligible concern can be disregarded; it is so trivial and insignificant that it warrants little or no attention.

INVECTIVE

Vehement or abusive language involving bitter, scathing accusations or denunciations. - Synonyms of invective include slander, defamation, aspersion, objurgation, billingsgate, vituperation, and obloquy. - Antonyms of invective include praise, commendation, adulation, eulogy, and encomium.

ITINERANT

Wandering, traveling about, moving from place to place, especially to perform work. - Synonyms of the adjective itinerant include migratory, wayfaring, vagrant, nomadic, ambulatory, and the interesting word peripatetic. I'll discuss peripatetic further in the tenth and final level of the program, so keep reading! - Itinerant is also a noun meaning an itinerant person, a wanderer, wayfarer, someone who travels from place to place. - The words itinerant and itinerary come from the Late Latin verb itinerari, to travel, go on a journey. An itinerary is a route, a course taken on a journey, especially a detailed plan or list of places to visit while traveling, as "The travel agent prepared an itinerary for their trip to Europe, noting their transportation schedule and the hotels where they planned to stay." - In current usage itinerary is sometimes used loosely as a synonym of agenda, but these words should be sharply distinguished. An agenda is a list of things to be done or dealt with, especially a list of items to be addressed in a meeting. An itinerary is a list of places to go, a detailed plan for a journey. - The words itinerant, nomadic, vagrant, and ambulatory all mean moving or traveling about. - Ambulatory, from the Latin ambulare, to walk, means walking, able to walk around: "When Kevin broke his leg the doctor said it would be at least three months before he'd be ambulatory again." - Vagrant comes ultimately from the Latin vagari, to wander, and means wandering about with no fixed purpose. Vagrant is usually applied to people, such as hobos and tramps, who have no home or job and who wander about in a shiftless way. - Nomadic applies not to individuals but to tribes or groups of people who lack a permanent home, and who wander together from place to place to sustain themselves: "The nomadic tribes of the desert must move from oasis to oasis to provide enough water for themselves and their livestock." - Itinerant applies to people who travel from place to place to work or seek work, and the word usually suggests traveling on a regular course or circuit. - An itinerant preacher goes from town to town, spreading the gospel. - Itinerant laborers must travel from place to place to do their work. In the past, the legal system had many itinerant judges who traveled on a regular circuit to adjudicate cases in various far‑flung districts.

émigré

a person who is forced to leave a country for political reasons

Gemütlich

agreeably pleasant : COMFORTABLE *easy, natural and gemütlich in her writing— Times Literary Supplement*

LICKSPLITTLE

an abject parasite or toady *they were T hired hands and lickspittles— R.P.Warren* synonyms see PARASITE

nefandous

archaic : unfit to be spoken of : IMPIOUS, EXECRABLE *nefandous wickedness— Increase Mather*

COMFORTABLE

comfy, easy, prosperous, well-fixed, well-heeled, well-off, well-situated, well-to-do

debate

disputation, public debate, deliberate, argument, argumentation, argue, contend, fence, consider, moot, turn over

hortative

giving exhortation : ADVISORY, EXHORTATIVE. Other synonims: exhortative, exhortatory, hortatory

Trade

last - noun a compliment that I heard about you that I offer to trade for a compliment you have heard about me. Other synonims: craft, patronage, swap, swop, switch, trade in, merchandise, barter, deal, business deal, trade wind, sell

wishy

washy - (a.) weak in willpower, courage or vitality

CELIBATE

(a.) abstaining from sexual intercourse; noun an unmarried person who has taken a religious vow of chastity. Other synonims: continent

derisive

(a.) abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule. Other synonims: gibelike, jeering, mocking, taunting

palatable

(a.) acceptable to the taste or mind. Other synonims: toothsome

TOOTHSOME

(a.) acceptable to the taste or mind; having strong sexual appeal; extremely pleasing to the sense of taste. Other synonims: palatable, juicy, luscious, red-hot, voluptuous, delectable, delicious, pleasant-tasting, scrumptious, yummy

DOMESTICATED

(a.) accustomed to home life; converted or adapted to domestic use. Other synonims: domestic

HIERATIC

(a.) adhering to fixed types or methods; highly restrained and formal; written or belonging to a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing; associated with the priesthood or priests; noun a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics; used especially by the priests. Other synonims: hieratic script, priestly, hieratical, sacerdotal

UNEQUIVOCAL

(a.) admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion; clearly defined or formulated. Other synonims: univocal, unambiguous, definitive

HOARY

(a.) ancient; covered with fine whitish hairs or down; showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair. Other synonims: rusty, canescent, grey, gray, grey-haired, gray-haired, grey-headed, gray-headed, grizzly, hoar, white-haired

HEBDOMADAL

(a.) appearing or occurring every seven days. Other synonims: hebdomadary

risible

(a.) arousing or provoking laughter. Other synonims: amusing, comic, comical, funny, laughable, mirthful

GLIB

(a.) artfully persuasive in speech; having only superficial plausibility; marked by lack of intellectual depth. Other synonims: glib-tongued, smooth-tongued, pat, slick

hokey

(a.) artificially formal; effusively or insincerely emotional. Other synonims: artificial, contrived, stilted, bathetic, drippy, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, schmaltzy, schmalzy, sentimental, soppy, soupy, slushy

ADVENTITIOUS

(a.) associated by chance and not an integral part. Other synonims: accidental

CIVILIAN

(a.) associated with or performed by civilians as contrasted with the military; noun a nonmilitary citizen

SYCOPHANTIC

(a.) attempting to win favor by flattery; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. Other synonims: bootlicking, fawning, toadyish, obsequious

obsequious

(a.) attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery. Other synonims: bootlicking, fawning, sycophantic, toadyish

AUSPICIOUS

(a.) auguring favorable circumstances and good luck

frugal

(a.) avoiding waste. Other synonims: economical, scotch, sparing, stinting

RUSTIC

(a.) awkwardly simple and provincial; characteristic of the fields or country; used of idealized country life; characteristic of rural life; noun an unsophisticated country person. Other synonims: bumpkinly, hick, unsophisticated, agrestic, arcadian, bucolic, pastoral, countrified, countryfied

naughty

(a.) badly behaved; suggestive of sexual impropriety. Other synonims: mischievous, blue, gamy, gamey, juicy, racy, risque, spicy

FALLACIOUS

(a.) based on an incorrect or misleading notion or information; containing or based on a fallacy; intended to deceive. Other synonims: unsound, deceitful, fraudulent

ARBITRARY

(a.) based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice

TENABLE

(a.) based on sound reasoning or evidence. Other synonims: well-founded

PROLIFIC

(a.) bearing in abundance especially offspring; intellectually productive. Other synonims: fertile, fecund

SINGULAR

(a.) being a single and separate person or thing; grammatical number category referring to a single item or unit; composed of one member, set, or kind; the single one of its kind; beyond or deviating from the usual or expected; unusual or striking; noun the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton. Other synonims: singular form, unique, curious, funny, odd, peculiar, queer, rum, rummy, remarkable

NASCENT

(a.) being born or beginning

TANTAMOUNT

(a.) being essentially equal to something. Other synonims: equivalent

RUDIMENTARY

(a.) being in the earliest stages of development; not fully developed in mature animals; being or involving basic facts or principles. Other synonims: vestigial, fundamental, underlying

Chronic

(a.) being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering

Apocryphal

(a.) being of questionable authenticity; of or belonging to the Apocrypha

superficial

(a.) being or affecting or concerned with a surface; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; of little substance or significance; relating to a surface; involving a surface only. Other synonims: trivial, skin-deep, surface

VERNACULAR

(a.) being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language; noun the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language); a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves). Other synonims: slang, cant, jargon, lingo, argot, patois, common, vulgar

STRIDENT

(a.) being sharply insistent on being heard; unpleasantly loud and harsh; of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then'); conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry. Other synonims: shrill, raucous, fricative, continuant, sibilant, spirant, blatant, clamant, clamorous, vociferous

IMPLICIT

(a.) being without doubt or reserve; implied though not directly expressed; inherent in the nature of something. Other synonims: unquestioning, inexplicit

cynical

(a.) believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others. Other synonims: misanthropic, misanthropical

IMPERIAL

(a.) belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler; befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress; relating to or associated with an empire; noun a piece of luggage carried on top of a coach; a small tufted beard worn by Emperor Napoleon III. Other synonims: imperial beard, majestic, purple, regal, royal

Aristocratic

(a.) belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy. Other synonims: aristocratical, blue, blue-blooded, gentle, patrician

MUNDANE

(a.) belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly; concerned with the world or worldly matters; found in the ordinary course of events. Other synonims: terrene, terrestrial, everyday, quotidian, routine, unremarkable, workaday

SUBLIMINAL

(a.) below the threshold of conscious perception

WRY

(a.) bent to one side; humorously sarcastic or mocking. Other synonims: dry, ironic, ironical

inordinate

(a.) beyond normal limits. Other synonims: excessive, undue, unreasonable

SATURNINE

(a.) bitter or scornful; showing a brooding ill humor. Other synonims: dark, dour, glowering, glum, moody, morose, sour, sullen

obstreperous

(a.) boisterously and noisily aggressive; noisily and stubbornly defiant

sisyphean

(a.) both extremely effortful and futile; of or relating to Sisyphus.

FETTERED

(a.) bound by chains fastened around the ankles. Other synonims: in bonds, in fetters, shackled

TERSE

(a.) brief and to the point; effectively cut short. Other synonims: crisp, curt, laconic

LACONIC

(a.) brief and to the point; effectively cut short. Other synonims: crisp, curt, terse

succinct

(a.) briefly giving the gist of something. Other synonims: compendious, compact, summary

scintillating

(a.) brilliantly clever; having brief brilliant points or flashes of light; marked by high spirits or excitement. Other synonims: aglitter, coruscant, fulgid, glinting, glistering, glittering, glittery, scintillant, sparkly, bubbling, effervescent, sparkly

farcical

(a.) broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce. Other synonims: ludicrous, ridiculous

LUDICROUS

(a.) broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce; incongruous; inviting ridicule. Other synonims: farcical, ridiculous, absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, nonsensical, preposterous

torrid

(a.) burning hot; extremely and unpleasantly hot; emotionally charged and vigorously energetic; characterized by intense emotion. Other synonims: ardent, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, impassioned, perfervid

INGRATIATING

(a.) calculated to please or gain favor; capable of winning favor. Other synonims: insinuating, ingratiatory

PLIANT

(a.) capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking; able to adjust readily to different conditions; capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; capable of being influenced or formed. Other synonims: bendable, pliable, elastic, flexible, ductile, malleable, tensile, tractile, plastic

pliable

(a.) capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking; able to adjust readily to different conditions; capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; susceptible to being led or directed. Other synonims: bendable, pliant, elastic, flexible, ductile, malleable, tensile, tractile, fictile

FRANGIBLE

(a.) capable of being broken

VENAL

(a.) capable of being corrupted. Other synonims: corruptible, bribable, dishonest, purchasable

palpable

(a.) capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt; can be felt by palpation. Other synonims: tangible

evident

(a.) capable of being seen or noticed; clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment. Other synonims: discernible, observable, apparent, manifest, patent, plain, unmistakable

MALLEABLE

(a.) capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; easily influenced. Other synonims: ductile, pliable, pliant, tensile, tractile

DIRIGIBLE

(a.) capable of being steered or directed; noun a steerable self-propelled airship. Other synonims: airship, steerable

MUTABLE

(a.) capable of or tending to change in form or quality or nature. Other synonims: changeable

FECUND

(a.) capable of producing offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive. Other synonims: fertile, prolific

blithe

(a.) carefree and happy and lighthearted; lacking or showing a lack of due concern. Other synonims: blithesome, lighthearted, lightsome, light-hearted

PRUDENT

(a.) careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment

vigilant

(a.) carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger. Other synonims: argus-eyed, open-eyed, wakeful, watchful

wanton

(a.) casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; occurring without motivation or provocation; noun lewd or lascivious woman; (v.) behave extremely cruelly and brutally; engage in amorous play; spend wastefully; indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of life; become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously; waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently. Other synonims: wanton away, trifle away, luxuriate, piddle, piddle away, trifle, easy, light, loose, promiscuous, sluttish, motiveless, unprovoked

shallow

(a.) lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center; not deep or strong; not affecting one deeply; lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious; noun a stretch of shallow water; (v.) become shallow; make shallow. Other synonims: shoal

trenchant

(a.) clearly or sharply defined to the mind; characterized by or full of force and vigor; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect. Other synonims: clear-cut, distinct, hard-hitting, searching

apparent

(a.) clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; appearing as such but not necessarily so. Other synonims: evident, manifest, patent, plain, unmistakable, ostensible, seeming

unimaginative

(a.) dealing only with concrete facts; lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality; deficient in originality or creativity; lacking powers of invention. Other synonims: stereotyped, stereotypic, stereotypical, sterile, uninspired, uninventive

INDECOROUS

(a.) lacking propriety and good taste in manners and conduct; not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society. Other synonims: indelicate, indecent, unbecoming, uncomely, unseemly, untoward

JUDICIAL

(a.) decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice; relating to the administration of justice or the function of a judge; belonging or appropriate to the office of a judge; expressing careful judgment. Other synonims: juridical, juridic, discriminative

BEMUSED

(a.) deeply absorbed in thought; perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment. Other synonims: deep in thought, lost, preoccupied, baffled, befuddled, bewildered, confounded, confused, mazed, mixed-up, at sea

TRUCULENT

(a.) defiantly aggressive

INIMITABLE

(a.) defying imitation; matchless

ALEATORY

(a.) dependent on chance

DIFFIDENT

(a.) lacking self-confidence; showing modest reserve. Other synonims: shy, timid, unsure

vapid

(a.) lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest; lacking taste or flavor or tang. Other synonims: bland, flat, flavorless, flavourless, insipid, savorless, savourless

UNQUALIFIED

(a.) lacking specific legal qualifications; not meeting the proper standards and requirements and training; not limited or restricted; lacking the necessary skill or knowledge etc.; having no right or entitlement. Other synonims: incapable, unentitled

LANGUOROUS

(a.) lacking spirit or liveliness. Other synonims: dreamy, lackadaisical, languid

stereotyped

(a.) lacking spontaneity or originality or individuality. Other synonims: stereotypic, stereotypical, unimaginative

bland

(a.) lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting; lacking taste or flavor or tang; smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication. Other synonims: flat, flavorless, flavourless, insipid, savorless, savourless, vapid, politic, smooth, suave

petulant

(a.) easily irritated or annoyed. Other synonims: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, scratchy, testy, tetchy, techy

cranky

(a.) easily irritated or annoyed; (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail. Other synonims: fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, testy, tetchy, techy, crank, tender, tippy

tractable

(a.) easily managed (controlled or taught or molded); readily reacting to suggestions and influences. (a.) easily managed (controlled or taught or molded); readily reacting to suggestions and influences. Other synonims: manipulable, responsive, amenable. Other synonims: manipulable, responsive, amenable

gullible

(a.) easily tricked because of being too trusting; naive and easily deceived or tricked. Other synonims: fleeceable, green

statute

(a.) enacted by a legislative body; noun an act passed by a legislative body. Other synonims: legislative act, codified

belligerent

(a.) engaged in war; characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight; noun someone who fights (or is fighting). Other synonims: fighting, militant, war-ridden, warring, combatant, battler, fighter, scrapper, aggressive

ZAFTIG

(a.) euphemisms for slightly fat. Other synonims: buxom, chubby, embonpoint, plump, zoftig

UNIFORM

(a.) evenly spaced; always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences; not differentiated; the same throughout in structure or composition; noun clothing of distinctive design worn by members of a particular group as a means of identification; (v.) provide with uniforms. Other synonims: unvarying, undifferentiated, consistent

malign

(a.) evil or harmful in nature or influence; having or exerting a malignant influence; (v.) speak unfavorably about. Other synonims: badmouth, traduce, drag through the mud, malefic, malevolent, evil

Baneful

(a.) exceedingly harmful; deadly or sinister. Other synonims: deadly, pernicious, pestilent, baleful

stodgy

(a.) excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull; heavy and starchy and hard to digest; (used pejoratively) out of fashion; old fashioned. Other synonims: stuffy, fogyish, moss-grown, mossy, stick-in-the-mud

corpulent

(a.) excessively fat. Other synonims: obese, weighty, rotund

rapacious

(a.) excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey. Other synonims: ravening, voracious, edacious, esurient, ravenous, wolfish, predatory, raptorial, vulturine, vulturous

lugubrious

(a.) excessively mournful

SANCTIMONIOUS

(a.) excessively or hypocritically pious. Other synonims: holier-than-thou, pietistic, pietistical, pharisaic, pharisaical, self-righteous

parsimonious

(a.) excessively unwilling to spend. Other synonims: penurious

mimetic

(a.) exhibiting mimicry; characterized by or of the nature of or using mimesis

nominal

(a.) existing in name only; insignificantly small; a matter of form only (`tokenish' is informal); being value in terms of specification on currency or stock certificates rather than purchasing power; pertaining to a noun or to a word group that functions as a noun; relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name; named; bearing the name of a specific person; noun a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a (v.). Other synonims: titular, token, tokenish, noun phrase, nominal phrase, nominative

LACERATE

(a.) having edges that are jagged from injury; irregularly slashed and jagged as if torn; (v.) cut or tear irregularly; deeply hurt the feelings of; distress. Other synonims: lacerated, mangled, torn

rococo

(a.) having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation; noun fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century

Aboriginal

(a.) having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state; of or pertaining to members of the indigenous people of Australia; characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from the beginning; noun a dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived. Other synonims: primal, primeval, primaeval, primordial, Aborigine, Abo, native Australian, Australian Aborigine, native

resplendent

(a.) having great beauty and splendor. Other synonims: glorious, splendid, splendiferous

ponderous

(a.) having great mass and weight and unwieldiness; labored and dull; slow and laborious because of weight. Other synonims: heavy, lumbering

CORPOREAL

(a.) having material or physical form or substance; affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit. Other synonims: material, bodily, corporal, somatic

AMBIGUOUS

(a.) having more than one possible meaning; having no intrinsic or objective meaning; not organized in conventional patterns; open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead. Other synonims: equivocal

GLABROUS

(a.) having no hair or similar growth; smooth

UNPRECEDENTED

(a.) having no precedent; novel

common

(a.) having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual; belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public; commonly encountered; being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language; of or associated with the great masses of people; to be expected; standard; common to or shared by two or more parties; lacking refinement or cultivation or taste; of low or inferior quality or value; noun a piece of open land for recreational use in an urban area. Other synonims: usual, vernacular, vulgar, plebeian, unwashed, mutual, park, commons, green, coarse, rough-cut, uncouth

cleft

(a.) having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the midrib; used of hooves; noun a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin); a long narrow opening. Other synonims: dissected, crack, crevice, fissure, scissure, cloven, bisulcate

illustrious

(a.) having or conferring glory; widely known and esteemed; having or worthy of pride. Other synonims: celebrated, famed, far-famed, famous, notable, noted, renowned, glorious, redoubtable, respected

hirsute

(a.) having or covered with hair. Other synonims: hairy, haired

FLAGELLATE

(a.) having or resembling a lash or whip (as does a flagellum); noun a usually nonphotosynthetic free-living protozoan with whiplike appendages; some are pathogens of humans and other animals; (v.) whip. Other synonims: flagellate protozoan, flagellated protozoan, mastigophoran, mastigophore, scourge, flagellated, whiplike, lash-like

STOLID

(a.) having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited. Other synonims: impassive

CONSUMMATE

(a.) having or revealing supreme mastery or skill; without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; perfect and complete in every respect; having all necessary qualities; (v.) make perfect; bring to perfection; fulfill sexually. Other synonims: masterful, masterly, virtuoso, arrant, complete, double-dyed, everlasting, gross, perfect, pure, sodding, stark, staring, thoroughgoing, utter, unadulterated

bellicose

(a.) having or showing a ready disposition to fight. Other synonims: battleful, combative

haughty

(a.) having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. Other synonims: disdainful, lordly, prideful, sniffy, supercilious, swaggering

expert

(a.) having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude; noun a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully. Other synonims: adept, good, practiced, proficient, skillful, skilful

ADEPT

(a.) having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude; noun someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field. Other synonims: expert, good, practiced, proficient, skillful, skilful, ace, champion, sensation, maven, mavin, virtuoso, genius, hotshot, star, superstar, whiz, whizz, wizard, wiz

pious

(a.) having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity; devoutly religious. Other synonims: devout, god-fearing

erudite

(a.) having or showing profound knowledge. Other synonims: learned

scrupulous

(a.) having scruples; arising from a sense of right and wrong; principled; characterized by extreme care and great effort. Other synonims: conscientious, painstaking

drawn

(a.) having the curtains or draperies closed or pulled shut; used of vehicles pulled forward (often used in combination); showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering. Other synonims: careworn, haggard, raddled, worn

OMNIPOTENT

(a.) having unlimited power. Other synonims: almighty, all-powerful

EPICENE

(a.) having unsuitable feminine qualities; having an ambiguous sexual identity. Other synonims: effeminate, emasculate, cissy, sissified, sissyish, sissy, bisexual

CIRCUMSPECT

(a.) heedful of potential consequences. Other synonims: discreet

Stygian

(a.) hellish; dark and dismal as of the rivers Acheron and Styx in Hades. Other synonims: Acheronian, Acherontic

ribald

(a.) humorously vulgar; noun a ribald person; someone who uses vulgar and offensive language. Other synonims: bawdy, off-color

OFFICIOUS

(a.) intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner. Other synonims: interfering, meddlesome, meddling, busy, busybodied

INCARNATE

(a.) invested with a bodily form especially of a human body; possessing or existing in bodily form; (v.) make concrete and real; represent in bodily form. Other synonims: body forth, embody, substantiate, bodied, corporal, corporate, embodied

CONSONANT

(a.) involving or characterized by harmony; in keeping; noun a speech sound that is not a vowel; a letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken consonant. Other synonims: harmonic, harmonical, harmonized, harmonised, in harmony, accordant, agreeable, conformable, concordant

contentious

(a.) involving or likely to cause controversy; inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits. Other synonims: combative, disputatious, disputative, litigious

DAUNTLESS

(a.) invulnerable to fear or intimidation. Other synonims: Other synonims: audacious, brave, fearless, intrepid, unfearing. Other synonims: Other synonims: audacious, brave, fearless, intrepid, unfearing

intrepid

(a.) invulnerable to fear or intimidation. Other synonims: audacious, brave, dauntless, fearless, unfearing

POIGNANT

(a.) keenly distressing to the mind or feelings; arousing affect. Other synonims: affecting, touching

random

(a.) lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance; taken haphazardly

hesitant

(a.) lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly; acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence. Other synonims: hesitating, groping

nebulous

(a.) lacking definition or definite content; lacking definite form or limits; of or relating to or resembling a nebula. Other synonims: unfixed, cloudy, nebulose, nebular

BENIGHTED

(a.) lacking enlightenment or knowledge or culture; overtaken by night or darkness. Other synonims: dark, nighted

craven

(a.) lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; noun an abject coward. Other synonims: recreant, poltroon

MYOPIC

(a.) lacking foresight or scope; unable to see distant objects clearly. Other synonims: short, shortsighted, unforesightful, nearsighted

Pusillanimous

(a.) lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution; contemptibly fearful. Other synonims: poor-spirited, unmanly

INCONGRUOUS

(a.) lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness

DISSONANT

(a.) lacking in harmony; characterized by musical dissonance; harmonically unresolved; not musical in nature. Other synonims: discordant, disharmonious, inharmonic, unresolved, unmusical, nonmusical

JEJUNE

(a.) lacking interest or significance; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity; lacking in nutritive value. Other synonims: insipid, adolescent, juvenile, puerile, insubstantial

LICENTIOUS

(a.) lacking moral discipline; especially sexually unrestrained

shiftless

(a.) lacking or characterized by lack of ambition or initiative; lazy

stupid

(a.) lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity; in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock; lacking intelligence; noun a person who is not very bright. Other synonims: stupid person, stupe, dullard, dolt, pudding head, pudden-head, poor fish, pillock, dazed, stunned, stupefied, unintelligent

REPROBATE

(a.) marked by immorality; deviating from what is considered right or proper or good; noun a person without moral scruples; (v.) reject (documents) as invalid; abandon to eternal damnation; express strong disapproval of. Other synonims: miscreant, condemn, decry, objurgate, excoriate, depraved, immoral, perverse, perverted

CIRCUITOUS

(a.) marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct; deviating from a straight course. Other synonims: roundabout, devious

ASTUTE

(a.) marked by practical hardheaded intelligence. Other synonims: sharp, shrewd

discreet

(a.) marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint; heedful of potential consequences; unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic. Other synonims: circumspect, discerning

furtive

(a.) marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; secret and sly or sordid. Other synonims: sneak, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, backstair, backstairs

GENTEEL

(a.) marked by refinement in taste and manners. Other synonims: civilized, civilised, cultivated, cultured, polite

acrimonious

(a.) marked by strong resentment or cynicism. Other synonims: bitter

JUDICIOUS

(a.) marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters. Other synonims: wise, heady

impetuous

(a.) marked by violent force; characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation. Other synonims: hotheaded, impulsive, madcap, tearaway, brainish

sordid

(a.) meanly avaricious and mercenary; foul and run-down and repulsive; unethical or dishonest; morally degraded. Other synonims: flyblown, squalid, dirty, seamy, seedy, sleazy

OBLIGATORY

(a.) morally or legally constraining or binding; required by obligation or compulsion or convention

vile

(a.) morally reprehensible; causing or able to cause nausea. Other synonims: despicable, ugly, slimy, unworthy, worthless, wretched, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, queasy, loathsome, offensive, sickening

Ascendant

(a.) most powerful or important or influential; tending or directed upward; noun position or state of being dominant or in control; someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent). Other synonims: ascendent, dominating, ascensive, ancestor, antecedent, root

LISSOME

(a.) moving and bending with ease. Other synonims: lissom, lithe, lithesome, slender, supple, svelte, sylphlike

SACROSANCT

(a.) must be kept sacred. Other synonims: inviolable, inviolate

INVIOLABLE

(a.) must be kept sacred; incapable of being transgressed or dishonored; not capable of being violated or infringed; able to withstand attack. Other synonims: inviolate, sacrosanct, absolute, infrangible, impregnable, secure, strong, unassailable, unattackable

DEMONSTRABLE

(a.) necessarily or demonstrably true; capable of being demonstrated or proved. Other synonims: incontrovertible, provable

unrelenting

(a.) never-ceasing; not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty. Other synonims: persistent, relentless, grim, inexorable, stern, unappeasable, unforgiving

RELENTLESS

(a.) never-ceasing; not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty. Other synonims: persistent, unrelenting, grim, inexorable, stern, unappeasable, unforgiving

IMPERVIOUS

(a.) not admitting of passage or capable of being affected. Other synonims: imperviable

maladroit

(a.) not adroit

UNFETTERED

(a.) not bound by shackles and chains. Other synonims: unchained, unshackled, untied

IMPECCABLE

(a.) not capable of sin; without fault or error. Other synonims: faultless, immaculate

PROSAIC

(a.) not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; lacking wit or imagination; not fanciful or imaginative. Other synonims: commonplace, humdrum, unglamorous, unglamourous, pedestrian, prosy, earthbound, matter-of-fact

OBSCURE

(a.) not clearly understood or expressed; not drawing attention; not famous or acclaimed; marked by difficulty of style or expression; remote and separate physically or socially; difficult to find; (v.) make obscure or unclear; make difficult to perceive by sight; make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing; make less visible or unclear; make unclear, indistinct, or blurred. Other synonims: bedim, overcloud, benight, blot out, obliterate, veil, hide, befog, becloud, obnubilate, haze over, fog, cloud, mist, vague, unnoticeable, unknown, unsung, confuse, blur, dark, apart, isolated, hidden

DUBIOUS

(a.) not convinced; fraught with uncertainty or doubt; open to doubt or suspicion. Other synonims: doubtful, dubitable, in question

incredulous

(a.) not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving

onerous

(a.) not easily borne; wearing. Other synonims: burdensome, taxing

imperturbable

(a.) not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure. Other synonims: unflappable

CORPORAL

(a.) possessing or existing in bodily form; affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit; noun a noncommissioned officer in the army or airforce or marines. Other synonims: bodied, corporate, embodied, incarnate, bodily, corporeal, somatic

PUISSANT

(a.) powerful

cogent

(a.) powerfully persuasive. Other synonims: telling, weighty

mendicant

(a.) practicing beggary; noun a pauper who lives by begging; a male member of a religious order that originally relied solely on alms. Other synonims: beggar, friar

Ascetic

(a.) practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self-discipline; noun someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline. Other synonims: ascetical, austere, spartan, abstainer

parochial

(a.) relating to or supported by or located in a parish; narrowly restricted in outlook or scope. Other synonims: insular

bucolic

(a.) relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle; used of idealized country life; noun a short descriptive poem of rural or pastoral life; a country person. Other synonims: pastoral, eclogue, idyll, peasant, provincial, arcadian, rustic

reticent

(a.) reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk; cool and formal in manner. Other synonims: self-effacing, retiring, untalkative, reserved, restrained, unemotional

ALOOF

(a.) remote in manner; adv. in an aloof manner. Other synonims: distant, upstage

wrought

(a.) shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort). Other synonims: shaped, molded

Antithetic

(a.) sharply contrasted in character or purpose. Other synonims: antithetical

shed

(a.) shed at an early stage of development; noun an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage; (v.) cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers; get rid of; cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over; pour out in drops or small quantities or as if in drops or small quantities. Other synonims: molt, exuviate, moult, slough, cast, cast off, shake off, throw, throw off, throw away, drop, spill, disgorge, pour forth, caducous

FULGENT

(a.) shining intensely. Other synonims: blazing, blinding, dazzling, glaring, glary

HEINOUS

(a.) shockingly brutal or cruel. Other synonims: atrocious, flagitious, grievous, monstrous

FLAGITIOUS

(a.) shockingly brutal or cruel. Other synonims: atrocious, grievous, heinous, monstrous

morose

(a.) showing a brooding ill humor. Other synonims: dark, dour, glowering, glum, moody, saturnine, sour, sullen

urbane

(a.) showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience. Other synonims: polished, refined, svelte

Rancorous

(a.) showing deep-seated resentment

DEFERENTIAL

(a.) showing deference. Other synonims: deferent, regardful

stale

(a.) showing deterioration from age; lacking originality or spontaneity; no longer new; no longer new; uninteresting; (v.) urinate, of cattle and horses. Other synonims: dusty, moth-eaten, cold

CONTRIVED

(a.) showing effects of planning or manipulation; artificially formal. Other synonims: artificial, hokey, stilted

SOLICITOUS

(a.) showing hovering attentiveness; full of anxiety and concern

ABJECT

(a.) showing humiliation or submissiveness; of the most contemptible kind; most unfortunate or miserable; showing utter resignation or hopelessness. Other synonims: low, low-down, miserable, scummy, scurvy, resigned, unhopeful

FLIPPANT

(a.) showing inappropriate levity. Other synonims: light-minded

PHLEGMATIC

(a.) showing little emotion. Other synonims: phlegmatical

bilious

(a.) suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress; relating to or containing bile; irritable as if suffering from indigestion. Other synonims: liverish, livery, biliary, atrabilious, dyspeptic

morbid

(a.) suggesting an unhealthy mental state; caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology; suggesting the horror of death and decay. Other synonims: diseased, pathologic, pathological, ghoulish

UNCANNY

(a.) suggesting the operation of supernatural influences; surpassing the ordinary or normal. Other synonims: eldritch, weird, unearthly, preternatural

potable

(a.) suitable for drinking; noun any liquid suitable for drinking. Other synonims: beverage, drink, drinkable

DEFINITIVE

(a.) supplying or being a final or conclusive settlement; clearly defined or formulated; of recognized authority or excellence. Other synonims: determinate, unequivocal, authoritative, classical

purloined

(a.) taken dishonestly. Other synonims: stolen

PROTEAN

(a.) taking on different forms

Acetous

(a.) tasting or smelling like vinegar. Other synonims: acetose, vinegary, vinegarish

PROLIX

(a.) tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

humdrum

(a.) tediously repetitious or lacking in variety; not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; noun the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety. Other synonims: monotonous, monotony, sameness, commonplace, prosaic, unglamorous, unglamourous

MONOTONOUS

(a.) tediously repetitious or lacking in variety; sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch. Other synonims: humdrum, flat, monotone, monotonic

REFRACTORY

(a.) temporarily unresponsive or not fully responsive to nervous or sexual stimuli; not responding to treatment; stubbornly resistant to authority or control; noun lining consisting of material with a high melting point; used to line the inside walls of a furnace. Other synonims: stubborn, furnace lining, fractious, recalcitrant

stubborn

(a.) tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield; not responding to treatment. Other synonims: obstinate, unregenerate, refractory

conducive

(a.) tending to bring about; being partly responsible for. Other synonims: contributing, contributive, contributory, tributary

VOLATILE

(a.) tending to vary often or widely; evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures; marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments; liable to lead to sudden change or violence; noun a volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor. Other synonims: fickle, explosive

truncate

(a.) terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off; (v.) make shorter as if by cutting off; approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one; replace a corner by a plane. Other synonims: cut short, truncated

DESICCATED

(a.) thoroughly dried out; lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; preserved by removing natural moisture. Other synonims: dried-out, arid, desiccate, dried, dehydrated

MINATORY

(a.) threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments. Other synonims: baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, ominous, sinister, threatening

threatening

(a.) threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments; darkened by clouds. Other synonims: baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, ominous, sinister, heavy, lowering, sullen

timorous

(a.) timid by nature or revealing timidity. Other synonims: fearful, trepid

INNUMERABLE

(a.) too numerous to be counted. Other synonims: countless, infinite, innumerous, multitudinous, myriad, numberless, uncounted, unnumberable, unnumbered, unnumerable

MYRIAD

(a.) too numerous to be counted; noun a large indefinite number. Other synonims: countless, infinite, innumerable, innumerous, multitudinous, numberless, uncounted, unnumberable, unnumbered, unnumerable

INEFFABLE

(a.) too sacred to be uttered; defying expression or description. Other synonims: unnameable, unspeakable, unutterable, indefinable, indescribable, untellable

PERIPATETIC

(a.) traveling especially on foot; of or relating to Aristotle or his philosophy; noun a person who walks from place to place; a follower of Aristotle or an adherent of Aristotelianism. Other synonims: wayfaring, Aristotelian, Aristotelean, Aristotelic

insolvent

(a.) unable to meet or discharge financial obligations; noun someone who has insufficient assets to cover their debts. Other synonims: bankrupt

dumb

(a.) unable to speak because of hereditary deafness; lacking the power of human speech; unable to speak temporarily; slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity. Other synonims: mute, silent, speechless, dense, dim, dull, obtuse, slow

DISINTERESTED

(a.) unaffected by self-interest

necessary

(a.) unavoidably determined by prior circumstances; absolutely essential; noun anything indispensable. Other synonims: necessity, essential, requirement, requisite

AMBIVALENT

(a.) uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow

tentative

(a.) under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon; unsettled in mind or opinion. Other synonims: probationary, provisional, provisionary, doubtful

ODIOUS

(a.) unequivocally detestable. Other synonims: abominable, detestable, execrable

NOSTALGIC

(a.) unhappy at being away and longing for familiar things or persons. Other synonims: homesick

unremitting

(a.) uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing. Other synonims: ceaseless, constant, incessant, never-ending, perpetual, unceasing

unctuous

(a.) unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech. Other synonims: buttery, fulsome, oily, oleaginous, smarmy, soapy

Rapprochement

(n.) the reestablishing of cordial relations. Other synonims: reconciliation

revel

(n.) unrestrained merrymaking; (v.) celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking; engage in uproarious festivities; take delight in. Other synonims: revelry, racket, make whoopie, make merry, make happy, whoop it up, jollify, wassail, delight, enjoy

veracity

(n.) unwillingness to tell lies

travail

(n.) use of physical or mental energy; hard work; concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of labor to the birth of a child; (v.) work hard. Other synonims: effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, parturiency, labor, labour, confinement, lying-in, childbed, toil, fag, grind, drudge, dig, moil

RODOMONTADE

(n.) vain and empty boasting. Other synonims: braggadocio, bluster, rhodomontade

CASTIGATION

(n.) verbal punishment; a severe scolding. Other synonims: chastisement, earful, bawling out, chewing out, upbraiding, going-over, dressing down

OFFAL

(n.) viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal often considered inedible by humans

PHILANTHROPY

(n.) voluntary promotion of human welfare. Other synonims: philanthropic gift

dishwater

(n.) water in which dishes and cooking utensils are washed

lassitude

(n.) weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy; a feeling of lack of interest or energy; a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness). Other synonims: inanition, lethargy, slackness, languor, listlessness, sluggishness

dullness

(n.) without sharpness or clearness of edge or point; lack of sensibility; a lack of visual brightness; the quality of lacking interestingness; the quality of being slow to understand. Other synonims: bluntness, obtuseness

slander

(n.) words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another; an abusive attack on a person's character or good name; (v.) charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone. Other synonims: aspersion, calumny, defamation, denigration, defame, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch

MALFEASANCE

(n.) wrongful conduct by a public official

surpass

(v.) be or do something to a greater degree; pass by; go beyond; distinguish oneself. Other synonims: outstrip, outmatch, outgo, exceed, outdo, surmount, outperform, travel by, pass by, go past, go by, pass, transcend, excel, stand out

palpitate

(v.) beat rapidly; cause to throb or beat rapidly; shake with fast, tremulous movements. Other synonims: flutter, quiver, quake

ossify

(v.) become bony; cause to become hard and bony; make rigid and set into a conventional pattern. Other synonims: rigidify, petrify

Abate

(v.) become less in amount or intensity; make less active or intense. Other synonims: let up, slack off, slack, die away, slake. Ex: If rich countries want to help abate the impact of the tsunami, why not allow part of that assistance to be in the form of government tax collection?

POLARIZE

(v.) become polarized in a conflict or contrasting situation; cause to concentrate about two conflicting or contrasting positions; cause to vibrate in a definite pattern. Other synonims: polarise

ASSIMILATE

(v.) become similar to one's environment; make similar; become similar in sound; take (gas, light or heat) into a solution; take up mentally. Other synonims: imbibe, absorb, ingest, take in

dilate

(v.) become wider; add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing. Other synonims: distend, elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound

IMPORTUNE

(v.) beg persistently and urgently. Other synonims: insist

comport

(v.) behave in a certain manner; behave well or properly. Other synonims: behave, acquit, bear, deport, conduct, carry

DISSEMBLE

(v.) behave unnaturally or affectedly; hide under a false appearance; make believe with the intent to deceive. Other synonims: pretend, act, cloak, mask, feign, sham, affect

INFER

(v.) believe to be the case; guess correctly; solve by guessing; reason by deduction; establish by deduction; conclude by reasoning; in logic; draw from specific cases for more general cases. Other synonims: understand, guess, deduce, deduct, derive, generalize, generalise, extrapolate

genuflect

(v.) bend the knees and bow in church or before a religious superior or image; bend the knees and bow in a servile manner. Other synonims: scrape, kowtow

ENGENDER

(v.) call forth; make children. Other synonims: breed, spawn, beget, get, father, mother, sire, generate, bring forth

WAIVE

(v.) do without or cease to hold or adhere to; lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime. Other synonims: relinquish, forgo, foreswear, dispense with, forfeit, give up, throw overboard

CIRCUMSCRIBE

(v.) draw a line around; to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect; restrict or confine, "I limit you to two visits to the pub a day". Other synonims: limit, confine

BEDIZEN

(v.) dress up garishly and tastelessly; decorate tastelessly. Other synonims: dizen

EXPURGATE

(v.) edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate. Other synonims: bowdlerize, bowdlerise, castrate, shorten

roister

(v.) engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking. Other synonims: carouse, riot

Augment

(v.) enlarge or increase; grow or intensify

ANTEDATE

(v.) establish something as being earlier relative to something else; be earlier in time; go back further. Other synonims: predate, foredate, precede, forego, forgo, antecede

DEIFY

(v.) exalt to the position of a God; consider as a god or godlike

exacerbate

(v.) exasperate or irritate; make worse. Other synonims: exasperate, aggravate, worsen

ERUCT

(v.) expel gas from the stomach; eject or send out in large quantities, also metaphorical. Other synonims: burp, bubble, belch, spew, spew out

debunk

(v.) expose while ridiculing; especially of pretentious or false claims and ideas. Other synonims: expose

DISPARAGE

(v.) express a negative opinion of. Other synonims: belittle, pick at

DEGENERATE

(a.) unrestrained by convention or morality; noun a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior; (v.) grow worse. Other synonims: pervert, deviant, deviate, devolve, deteriorate, drop, debauched, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, profligate, riotous, fast

snub

(a.) unusually short; noun a refusal to recognize someone you know; an instance of driving away or warding off; (v.) reject outright and bluntly; refuse to acknowledge. Other synonims: cut, cold shoulder, rebuff, repulse, repel, ignore, disregard

stingy

(a.) unwilling to spend; deficient in amount or quality or extent. Other synonims: ungenerous, meager, meagre, meagerly, scrimpy

inclement

(a.) used of persons or behavior; showing no clemency or mercy; (of weather or climate) severe

Congenial

(a.) used of plants; capable of cross-fertilization or of being grafted; suitable to your needs or similar to your nature

MERCENARY

(a.) used of soldiers hired by a foreign army; profit oriented; marked by materialism; noun a person hired to fight for another country than their own. Other synonims: soldier of fortune, freelance, mercantile, moneymaking, materialistic, worldly-minded

menial

(a.) used of unskilled work (especially domestic work); noun a domestic servant. Other synonims: dogsbody, humble, lowly

VERBOSE

(a.) using or containing too many words. Other synonims: long-winded, tedious, windy, wordy

BOON

(a.) very close and convivial; noun a desirable state. Other synonims: blessing

munificent

(a.) very generous. Other synonims: lavish, overgenerous, prodigal, too-generous, unsparing, unstinted, unstinting

diminutive

(a.) very small; noun a word that is formed with a suffix (such as -let or -kin) to indicate smallness. Other synonims: bantam, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny, flyspeck

TRYST

(n.) a date; usually with a member of the opposite sex; a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers). Other synonims: rendezvous, assignation

Artifice

(n.) a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture). Other synonims: ruse

BROACH

(n.) a decorative pin worn by women; (v.) bring up a topic for discussion. Other synonims: initiate, brooch, breastpin

CHASM

(n.) a deep opening in the earth's surface

forbearance

(n.) a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges; refraining from acting; good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. Other synonims: patience, longanimity

REBUFF

(n.) a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval); an instance of driving away or warding off; (v.) reject outright and bluntly; force or drive back. Other synonims: slight, snub, repulse, repel, fight off, drive back

SOPHISTRY

(n.) a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone. Other synonims: sophism, sophistication

canard

(n.) a deliberately misleading fabrication

Affability

(n.) a disposition to be friendly and approachable (easy to talk to). Other synonims: affableness, amiability, amiableness, bonhomie, geniality

MISANTHROPY

(n.) a disposition to dislike and mistrust other people; hatred of mankind

PETTIFOGGER

(n.) a disputant who quibbles; someone who raises annoying petty objections; a person (especially a lawyer or politician) who uses unscrupulous or unethical methods. Other synonims: quibbler, caviller, caviler, shyster

faction

(n.) a dissenting clique; a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue. Other synonims: sect, cabal, junto, camarilla

rakehell

(n.) a dissolute man in fashionable society. Other synonims: rake, profligate, rip, blood, roue

ROUE

(n.) a dissolute man in fashionable society. Other synonims: rake, rakehell, profligate, rip, blood

dogma

(n.) a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative; a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof. Other synonims: tenet

PRECEPT

(n.) a doctrine that is taught; rule of personal conduct. Other synonims: teaching, commandment, principle

OUBLIETTE

(n.) a dungeon with the only entrance or exit being a trap door in the ceiling

counterpart

(n.) a duplicate copy; a person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another. Other synonims: similitude, twin, opposite number, vis-a-vis

panache

(n.) a feathered plume on a helmet; distinctive and stylish elegance. Other synonims: dash, elan, flair, style

UMBRAGE

(n.) a feeling of anger caused by being offended. Other synonims: offense, offence

rancor

(n.) a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will. Other synonims: resentment, bitterness, gall, rancour

COMPUNCTION

(n.) a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed). Other synonims: remorse, self-reproach

ANIMOSITY

(n.) a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility. Other synonims: animus, bad blood

gloom

(n.) a feeling of melancholy apprehension; a state of partial or total darkness; an atmosphere of depression and melancholy. Other synonims: gloominess, somberness, sombreness, glumness

SUCCUBUS

(n.) a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men. Other synonims: succuba

VENDETTA

(n.) a feud in which members of the opposing parties murder each other. Other synonims: blood feud

pseudonym

(n.) a fictitious name used when the person performs a particular social role. Other synonims: anonym, nom de guerre

Admonishment

(n.) a firm rebuke. Other synonims: admonition, monition

Advocate

(n.) a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea; a lawyer who pleads cases in court; (v.) speak, plead, or argue in favour of; push for something. Other synonims: advocator, proponent, exponent, counsel, counselor, counsellor, counselor-at-law, pleader, preach, recommend, urge

SYCOPHANT

(n.) a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage. Other synonims: toady, crawler, lackey

MISCREANT

(n.) a person without moral scruples. Other synonims: reprobate

CHARISMA

(n.) a personal attractiveness or interestingness that enables you to influence others. Other synonims: personal appeal, personal magnetism

PECCADILLO

(n.) a petty misdeed. Other synonims: indiscretion

buffet

(n.) a piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room; has shelves and drawers; a meal set out on a buffet at which guests help themselves; usually inexpensive bar; (v.) strike, beat repeatedly; strike against forcefully. Other synonims: counter, sideboard, buff, knock about, batter, snack bar, snack counter

bolster

(n.) a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows; (v.) support and strengthen; prop up with a pillow or bolster; add padding to. Other synonims: long pillow, bolster up, pad

denizen

(n.) a plant or animal naturalized in a region; a person who inhabits a particular place. Other synonims: inhabitant, habitant, dweller, indweller

NEOPHYTE

(n.) a plant that is found in an area where it had not been recorded previously; a new convert being taught the principles of Christianity by a catechist; any new participant in some activity. Other synonims: catechumen, newcomer, fledgling, fledgeling, starter, freshman, newbie, entrant

caper

(n.) a playful leap or hop; a crime (especially a robbery); pickled flower buds used as a pungent relish in various dishes and sauces; any of numerous plants of the genus Capparis; a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement; gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement; (v.) jump about playfully. Other synonims: capriole, job, antic, joke, prank, trick, put-on, play, frolic, romp, gambol

OLIGARCHY

(n.) a political system governed by a few people

Autocracy

(n.) a political theory favoring unlimited authority by a single individual; a political system governed by a single individual. Other synonims: autarchy

prognosis

(n.) a prediction of the course of a disease; a prediction about how something (as the weather) will develop. Other synonims: prospect, medical prognosis, forecast

predilection

(n.) a predisposition in favor of something; a strong liking. Other synonims: preference, orientation, penchant, taste

EXIGENCY

(n.) a pressing or urgent situation; a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action. Other synonims: emergency, pinch

ordeal

(n.) a primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence; a severe or trying experience. Other synonims: trial by ordeal

forum

(n.) a public facility to meet for open discussion; a public meeting or assembly for open discussion. Other synonims: assembly, meeting place

WEAL

(n.) a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions. Other synonims: wale, welt, wheal

welt

(n.) a raised or strengthened seam; a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions; (v.) put a welt on; beat severely with a whip or rod. Other synonims: wale, weal, wheal, flog, whip, lather, lash, slash, strap, trounce

Celerity

(n.) a rate that is rapid. Other synonims: quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speediness

Atavism

(n.) a reappearance of an earlier characteristic. Other synonims: reversion, throwback

ZIGGURAT

(n.) a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. Other synonims: zikkurat, zikurat

vertigo

(n.) a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall. Other synonims: dizziness, giddiness, lightheadedness

tenet

(n.) a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof. Other synonims: dogma

COMPLIMENT

(n.) a remark (or act) expressing praise and admiration; (v.) say something to someone that expresses praise; express respect or esteem for. Other synonims: congratulate

hinterland

(n.) a remote and undeveloped area. Other synonims: backwoods, back country, boondocks

REPRISAL

(n.) a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime

RECRUDESCENCE

(n.) a return of something after a period of abatement

Nihilism

(n.) a revolutionary doctrine that advocates destruction of the social system for its own sake; complete denial of all established authority and institutions; the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist; a sense that everything is unreal. Other synonims: nihilistic delusion

PERQUISITE

(n.) a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right); an incidental benefit awarded for certain types of employment (especially if it is regarded as a right). Other synonims: prerogative, privilege, exclusive right, fringe benefit, perk

incantation

(n.) a ritual recitation of words or sounds believed to have a magical effect. Other synonims: conjuration

Acrimony

(n.) a rough and bitter manner. Other synonims: bitterness, acerbity, jaundice, tartness, thorniness

bitterness

(n.) a rough and bitter manner; the property of having a harsh unpleasant taste; the taste experience when quinine or coffee is taken into the mouth; a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will. Other synonims: acrimony, acerbity, jaundice, tartness, thorniness, bitter, resentment, gall, rancor, rancour

Vilification

(n.) a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; slanderous defamation. Other synonims: abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, smear, malignment

FULMINATE

(n.) a salt or ester of fulminic acid; (v.) cause to explode violently and with loud noise; come on suddenly and intensely; criticize severely. Other synonims: rail

TERMAGANT

(n.) a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman. Other synonims: shrew

MINX

(n.) a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men. Other synonims: coquette, flirt, vamp, vamper, tease, prickteaser

twiddle

(n.) a series of small (usually idle) twists or turns; (v.) manipulate, as in a nervous or unconscious manner; turn in a twisting or spinning motion. Other synonims: fiddle with, twirl, swirl, whirl

Aficionado

(n.) a serious devotee of some particular music genre or musical performer; a fan of bull fighting

FETTER

(n.) a shackle for the ankles or feet; (v.) restrain with fetters. Other synonims: hobble, shackle

torpor

(n.) a state of motor and mental inactivity with a partial suspension of sensibility; inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy. Other synonims: torpidity, listlessness, torpidness

Armistice

(n.) a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms. Other synonims: cease-fire, truce

COMITY

(n.) a state or atmosphere of harmony or mutual civility and respect

PREMISE

(n.) a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn; (v.) take something as preexisting and given; set forth beforehand, often as an explanation; furnish with a preface or introduction. Other synonims: premiss, assumption, precede, preface, introduce

ORDINANCE

(n.) a statute enacted by a city government; the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders; an authoritative rule. Other synonims: ordination, regulation

proviso

(n.) a stipulated condition. Other synonims: provision

IMPASSE

(n.) a street with only one way in or out; a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible. Other synonims: blind alley, cul de sac, dead-end street, deadlock, dead end, stalemate, standstill

adversity

(n.) a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event; a state of misfortune or affliction. Other synonims: hardship, hard knocks

penchant

(n.) a strong liking. Other synonims: preference, predilection, taste

FIASCO

(n.) a sudden and violent collapse. Other synonims: debacle

caprice

(n.) a sudden desire. Other synonims: impulse, whim

paroxysm

(n.) a sudden uncontrollable attack. Other synonims: fit, convulsion

CODICIL

(n.) a supplement to a will; a testamentary instrument intended to alter an already executed will

NOMENCLATURE

(n.) a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline. Other synonims: terminology, language

ACCOLADE

(n.) a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction. Other synonims: award, honor, honour, laurels

docent

(n.) a teacher at some universities

hypothesis

(n.) a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations; a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence. Other synonims: possibility, theory, guess, conjecture, supposition, surmise, surmisal, speculation

hodgepodge

(n.) a theory or argument made up of miscellaneous or incongruous ideas; a motley assortment of things. Other synonims: patchwork, jumble, odds and ends, oddments, melange, farrago, ragbag, mishmash, mingle-mangle, hotchpotch, gallimaufry, omnium-gatherum

PANTYWAIST

(n.) a timid man or boy considered childish or unassertive. Other synonims: sissy, pansy, milksop, Milquetoast

homunculus

(n.) a tiny fully formed individual that (according to the discredited theory of preformation) is supposed to be present in the sperm cell; a person who is very small but who is not otherwise deformed or abnormal. Other synonims: manikin, mannikin

PLATITUDE

(n.) a trite or obvious remark. Other synonims: cliche, banality, commonplace, bromide

BANALITY

(n.) a trite or obvious remark. Other synonims: platitude, cliche, commonplace, bromide

glower

(n.) an angry stare; (v.) look at with a fixed gaze; look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval. Other synonims: glare, frown, lour, lower

tribulation

(n.) an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event. Other synonims: trial, visitation

CORPS

(n.) an army unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and their support; a body of people associated together. Other synonims: army corps

Antiquity

(n.) an artifact surviving from the past; the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe; extreme oldness. Other synonims: ancientness

GRATUITY

(n.) an award (as for meritorious service) given without claim or obligation; a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter). Other synonims: tip, pourboire, baksheesh, bakshish, bakshis, backsheesh

CONTRETEMPS

(n.) an awkward clash

DISQUISITION

(n.) an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion

EPIGRAPH

(n.) an engraved inscription; a quotation at the beginning of some piece of writing

rout

(n.) an overwhelming defeat; a disorderly crowd of people; (v.) cause to flee; make a groove in; dig with the snout; defeat disastrously. Other synonims: rout out, expel, gouge, root, rootle, mob, rabble, spread-eagle, spreadeagle

CODEX

(n.) an unbound manuscript of some ancient classic (as distinguished from a scroll); an official list of chemicals or medicines etc.. Other synonims: leaf-book

vagary

(n.) an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)

CELIBACY

(n.) an unmarried status; abstaining from sexual relations (as because of religious vows). Other synonims: chastity, sexual abstention

stagger

(n.) an unsteady uneven gait; (v.) to arrange in a systematic order; astound or overwhelm, as with shock; walk as if unable to control one's movements; walk with great difficulty.. Other synonims: distribute, reel, keel, lurch, swag, careen, flounder, stumble

ANGUISH

(n.) extreme mental distress; extreme distress of body or mind; (v.) suffer great pains or distress; cause emotional anguish or make miserable. Other synonims: torment, torture, pain, hurt

JINGOISM

(n.) fanatical patriotism; an appeal intended to arouse patriotic emotions. Other synonims: chauvinism, superpatriotism, ultranationalism, flag waving

NEPOTISM

(n.) favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)

TEMERITY

(n.) fearless daring. Other synonims: audacity, audaciousness

REPLENISHMENT

(n.) filling again by supplying what has been used up. Other synonims: refilling, replacement, renewal

FOLLY

(n.) foolish or senseless behavior; the trait of acting stupidly or rashly; the quality of being rash and foolish; a stupid mistake. Other synonims: foolery, tomfoolery, craziness, lunacy, indulgence, foolishness, unwiseness, madness, stupidity, betise, imbecility

assurance

(n.) freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; a statement intended to inspire confidence; a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something; a British term for some kinds of insurance. Other synonims: self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, sureness, pledge

BADINAGE

(n.) frivolous banter

suppose

(v.) express a supposition; expect, believe, or suppose; to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; require as a necessary antecedent or precondition; take for granted or as a given; suppose beforehand. Other synonims: say, think, opine, imagine, reckon, guess, speculate, theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, presuppose

CACOPHONY

(n.) loud confusing disagreeable sounds; a loud harsh or strident noise. Other synonims: blare, blaring, clamor, din

spitefulness

(n.) malevolence by virtue of being malicious or spiteful or nasty; feeling a need to see others suffer. Other synonims: cattiness, bitchiness, spite, nastiness, malice, maliciousness, venom

HEBETUDE

(n.) mental lethargy or dullness

VICISSITUDE

(n.) mutability in life or nature (especially successive alternation from one condition to another); a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something

RECRIMINATION

(n.) mutual accusations

RECIPROCITY

(n.) mutual exchange of commercial or other privileges; a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence. Other synonims: reciprocality

SUBLIMITY

(n.) nobility in thought or feeling or style

Altercation

(n.) noisy quarrel. Other synonims: affray, fracas

Approbation

(n.) official recognition or approval; official approval

upbraid

(v.) express criticism towards. Other synonims: reproach

SATYR

(n.) one of a class of woodland deities; attendant on Bacchus; identified with Roman fauns; man with strong sexual desires. Other synonims: forest god, lecher, lech, letch

MARTYR

(n.) one who suffers for the sake of principle; one who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty for refusing to renounce their religion; (v.) torture and torment like a martyr; kill as a martyr. Other synonims: sufferer, martyrize, martyrise

OVERTURE

(n.) orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio; a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others; something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows. Other synonims: advance, approach, feeler, preliminary, prelude

NOVELTY

(n.) originality by virtue of being new and surprising; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing; a small inexpensive mass-produced article; originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel. Other synonims: freshness, bangle, bauble, gaud, gewgaw, fallal, trinket, knickknack

hubris

(n.) overbearing pride or presumption

EBULLIENCE

(n.) overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval. Other synonims: exuberance, enthusiasm

NOSTRUM

(n.) patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable; hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists. Other synonims: panacea, catholicon, cure-all

BEDLAM

(n.) pejorative terms for an insane asylum; a state of extreme confusion and disorder. Other synonims: booby hatch, crazy house, cuckoo's nest, funny farm, funny house, loony bin, madhouse, nut house, nuthouse, sanatorium, snake pit, chaos, pandemonium, topsy-turvydom, topsy-turvyness

TROGLODYTE

(n.) someone who lives in a cave; one who lives in solitude. Other synonims: caveman, cave man, cave dweller, hermit, recluse, solitary, solitudinarian

PHILANTHROPIST

(n.) someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being. Other synonims: altruist

ALTRUIST

(n.) someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being. Other synonims: philanthropist

ENTREPRENEUR

(n.) someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it. Other synonims: enterpriser

Nihilist

(n.) someone who rejects all theories of morality or religious belief; an advocate of anarchism. Other synonims: anarchist, syndicalist

CONVENTION

(n.) the act of convening; something regarded as a normative example; (diplomacy) an international agreement; a large formal assembly; orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional. Other synonims: convening, normal, pattern, rule, formula, conventionality, conventionalism

DELUSION

(n.) the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas; a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea; (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary. Other synonims: illusion, head game, hallucination, psychotic belief

Derision

(n.) the act of deriding or treating with contempt; contemptuous laughter. Other synonims: ridicule

IMPLY

(v.) express or state indirectly; suggest as a logically necessary consequence; in logic; have as a necessary feature or consequence; entail; have as a logical consequence; suggest that someone is guilty. Other synonims: connote, involve, entail, mean, incriminate, inculpate

Excoriate

(v.) express strong disapproval of; tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading. Other synonims: condemn, reprobate, decry, objurgate, chafe

Disentangle

(v.) extricate from entanglement; smoothen and neaten with or as with a comb; separate the tangles of; release from entanglement of difficulty; free from involvement or entanglement. Other synonims: unsnarl, straighten out, comb, comb out, unwind, extricate, untangle, disencumber, disinvolve, disembroil

REPLENISH

(v.) fill something that had previously been emptied. Other synonims: refill, fill again

ENSCONCE

(v.) fix firmly. Other synonims: settle

depose

(v.) force to leave (an office); make a deposition; declare under oath. Other synonims: force out, swear, depone

ideate

(v.) form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case. Other synonims: imagine, conceive of, envisage

Abjure

(v.) formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure. Other synonims: recant, forswear, retract, resile

MANUMIT

(v.) free from slavery or servitude. Other synonims: emancipate

disabuse

(v.) free somebody (from an erroneous belief)

coalesce

(v.) fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements. Other synonims: blend, flux, mix, conflate, commingle, immix, fuse, meld, combine, merge

AMELIORATE

(v.) get better; to make better. Other synonims: better, improve, meliorate, amend

evince

(v.) give expression to. Other synonims: express, show

proximity

(n.) the property of being close together; a Gestalt principle of organization holding that (other things being equal) objects or events that are near to one another (in space or time) are perceived as belonging together as a unit; the region close around a person or thing. Other synonims: propinquity, law of proximity

sanctity

(n.) the quality of being holy. Other synonims: holiness, sanctitude

CANDOR

(n.) the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech; ability to make judgments free from discrimination or dishonesty. Other synonims: candour, candidness, frankness, directness, forthrightness, fairness, fair-mindedness

SINGULARITY

(n.) the quality of being one of a kind; strangeness by virtue of being remarkable or unusual. Other synonims: uniqueness

garrulity

(n.) the quality of being wordy and talkative. Other synonims: garrulousness, loquaciousness, loquacity, talkativeness

Altruism

(n.) the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Other synonims: selflessness

Administer

(v.) give or apply (medications); administer ritually; of church sacraments; work in an administrative capacity; supervise; administer or bestow, as in small portions. Other synonims: dispense, administrate, distribute, mete out, deal, parcel out, lot, shell out, deal out, dish out, allot, dole out

abdicate

(v.) give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations. Other synonims: renounce

transcend

(v.) go beyond; go beyond. Other synonims: exceed, overstep, pass, go past, top, surpass

exceed

(v.) go beyond; go beyond; be or do something to a greater degree. Other synonims: transcend, overstep, pass, go past, top, surpass, outstrip, outmatch, outgo, outdo, surmount, outperform

Masticate

(v.) grind and knead; chew (food). Other synonims: chew, manducate, jaw

burgeon

(v.) grow and flourish

Accrue

(v.) grow by addition; come into the possession of. Other synonims: fall

RECUR

(v.) happen or occur again; return in thought or speech to something; have recourse to. Other synonims: repeat, go back, fall back, resort

CONCUR

(v.) happen simultaneously; be in accord; be in agreement. Other synonims: coincide, agree, hold, concord

Aspire

(v.) have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal. Other synonims: draw a bead on, aim, shoot for

encumber

(v.) hold back. Other synonims: restrain, cumber, constrain

appreciate

(v.) increase the value of; gain in value; be fully aware of; realize fully; recognize with gratitude; be grateful for; hold dear. Other synonims: apprize, apprise, revalue, take account, prize, value, treasure

apprize

(v.) increase the value of; gain in value; make aware of; inform (somebody) of something. Other synonims: appreciate, apprise, revalue, instruct, advise, notify, give notice, send word

Apprise

(v.) increase the value of; gain in value; make aware of; inform (somebody) of something. Other synonims: appreciate, apprize, revalue, instruct, advise, notify, give notice, send word

enhance

(v.) increase; make better or more attractive. Other synonims: heighten, raise

portend

(v.) indicate by signs. Other synonims: bode, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict

PROGNOSTICATE

(v.) indicate by signs; make a prediction about; tell in advance. Other synonims: bode, portend, auspicate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict, call, forebode, anticipate, promise

mesmerize

(v.) induce hypnosis in; attract strongly, as if with a magnet. Other synonims: hypnotize, hypnotise, mesmerise, magnetize, magnetise, bewitch, spellbind

CASTIGATE

(v.) inflict severe punishment on; censure severely. Other synonims: chastise, objurgate, chasten, correct

INTERPOLATE

(v.) insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby; estimate the value of. Other synonims: alter, falsify, extrapolate

infuse

(v.) introduce into the body through a vein, for therapeutic purposes; undergo the process of infusion; let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse; fill, as with a certain quality; teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions. Other synonims: steep, impregnate, instill, tincture, inculcate

ensue

(v.) issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end. Other synonims: result

Annihilate

(v.) kill in large numbers. Other synonims: eliminate, extinguish, eradicate, wipe out, decimate, carry off

DECIMATE

(v.) kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies; kill in large numbers. Other synonims: eliminate, annihilate, extinguish, eradicate, wipe out, carry off

CACHINNATE

(v.) laugh loudly and in an unrestrained way

POSTHUMOUSLY

adv. after death

Alias

adv. as known or named at another time or place; noun a name that has been assumed temporarily. Other synonims: assumed name, false name, a.k.a., also known as

surely

adv. definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely'). Other synonims: certainly, sure, for sure, for certain, sure enough, sure as shooting

EXPEDITIOUSLY

adv. in an efficient manner. Other synonims: efficiently, with efficiency

nothing

adv. in no way; to no degree; noun a nonexistent thing; a quantity of no importance. Other synonims: nonentity, nil, nix, nada, null, aught, cipher, cypher, goose egg, naught, zero, zilch, zip, zippo

nowhere

adv. not anywhere; in or at or to no place; noun an insignificant place

patently

adv. unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly'). Other synonims: obviously, evidently, manifestly, apparently, plainly, plain

capable

open, subject, adequate to, equal to, up to, able

cornball

slang : an unsophisticated person : RUBE, HICK; also : something corny *such cornball phrasing as *on the boards*— Walter Kerr*

Ascertain

(v.) learn or discover with certainty; be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort. Other synonims: see, check, insure, see to it, ensure, control, assure, determine, find, find out, watch, learn

EMIGRATE

(v.) leave one's country of residence for a new one

PROTRACT

(v.) lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer. Other synonims: prolong, extend, draw out

abridge

(v.) lessen, diminish, or curtail; reduce in scope while retaining essential elements. Other synonims: foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce

absolve

(v.) let off the hook; grant remission of a sin to. Other synonims: justify, free

IMMURE

(v.) lock up or confine, in or as in a jail. Other synonims: imprison, incarcerate, lag, put behind bars, jail, jug, gaol, put away, remand

DIVAGATE

(v.) lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking. Other synonims: digress, stray, wander

DIGRESS

(v.) lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; wander from a direct or straight course. Other synonims: stray, divagate, wander, sidetrack, depart, straggle

confound

(v.) mistake one thing for another; be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly. Other synonims: confuse, throw, fox, befuddle, fuddle, bedevil, discombobulate

vacillate

(v.) move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern; be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action. Other synonims: fluctuate, waver, hover, vibrate, oscillate

squander

(v.) spend extravagantly; spend thoughtlessly; throw away. Other synonims: consume, waste, ware, blow

VILIFY

(v.) spread negative information about. Other synonims: revile, vituperate, rail

revile

(v.) spread negative information about. Other synonims: vilify, vituperate, rail

GALVANIZE

(v.) stimulate (muscles) by administering a shock; cover with zinc; to stimulate to action. Other synonims: galvanise, startle

hew

(v.) strike with an axe; cut down, strike; make or shape as with an axe. Other synonims: hew out

FORECLOSE

(v.) subject to foreclosing procedures; take away the right of mortgagors to redeem their mortgage; keep from happening or arising; make impossible. Other synonims: prevent, forestall, preclude, forbid

swagger

(a.) (British informal) very chic; noun a proud stiff pompous gait; an itinerant Australian laborer who carries his personal belongings in a bundle as he travels around in search of work; (v.) act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner; discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate; to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others. Other synonims: bluster, swash, strut, prance, swagman, swaggie, browbeat, bully, tittup, ruffle, sashay, cock, groovy

REPLETE

(a.) (followed by `with')deeply filled or permeated; filled to satisfaction with food or drink; (v.) fill to satisfaction. Other synonims: satiate, sate, fill, instinct, full

picayune

(a.) (informal) small and of little importance. Other synonims: fiddling, footling, lilliputian, little, niggling, piddling, piffling, petty, trivial

turgid

(a.) abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas; ostentatiously lofty in style. Other synonims: bloated, distended, puffed, puffy, swollen, intumescent, tumescent, tumid, bombastic, declamatory, large, orotund

PATENT

(a.) (of a bodily tube or passageway) open; affording free passage; clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; noun a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention; an official document granting a right or privilege; (v.) make open to sight or notice; obtain a patent for; grant rights to; grant a patent for. Other synonims: patent of invention, letters patent, apparent, evident, manifest, plain, unmistakable

inviolate

(a.) (of a woman) having the hymen unbroken; must be kept sacred. Other synonims: intact, inviolable, sacrosanct

SALIENT

(a.) (of angles) pointing outward at an angle of less than 180 degrees; having a quality that thrusts itself into attention; noun (military) the part of the line of battle that projects closest to the enemy. Other synonims: outstanding, prominent, spectacular, striking

HISPID

(a.) (of animals or plants) having stiff coarse hairs or bristles

dull

(a.) (of business) not active or brisk; emitting or reflecting very little light; (of color) very low in saturation; highly diluted; darkened with overcast; not having a sharp edge or point; not keenly felt; lacking in liveliness or animation; being or made softer or less loud or clear; not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft; blunted in responsiveness or sensibility; slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; (v.) make less lively or vigorous; become dull or lusterless in appearance; lose shine or brightness; make dull in appearance; make dull or blunt; become less interesting or attractive; make numb or insensitive; deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping. Other synonims: blunt, slow, sluggish, grey, gray, leaden, muffled, muted, softened, thudding, pall, numb, benumb, muffle, mute, damp, dampen, tone down, dense, dim, dumb, obtuse, boring, deadening, ho-hum, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome

SATURATED

(a.) (of color) being chromatically pure; not diluted with white or grey or black; used especially of organic compounds; having all available valence bonds filled; being the most concentrated solution possible at a given temperature; unable to dissolve still more of a substance; wet through and through; thoroughly wet. Other synonims: pure, concentrated, drenched, soaked, soaking, sodden, sopping, soppy

DISCURSIVE

(a.) (of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects; proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition. Other synonims: digressive, excursive, rambling, dianoetic

TURBID

(a.) (of especially liquids) clouded as with sediment. Other synonims: cloudy, muddy, mirky, murky

NOMADIC

(a.) (of groups of people) tending to travel and change settlements frequently. Other synonims: mobile, peregrine, roving, wandering

Autonomous

(a.) (of persons) free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment; existing as an independent entity; (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces. Other synonims: self-directed, self-reliant, independent, self-governing, sovereign

PERSONABLE

(a.) (of persons) pleasant in appearance and personality

MOTILE

(a.) (of spores or microorganisms) capable of movement; noun one whose prevailing mental imagery takes the form of inner feelings of action

indolent

(a.) (of tumors e.g) slow to heal or develop and usually painless; disinclined to work or exertion. Other synonims: faineant, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy

FRATERNAL

(a.) (of twins) derived from two separate fertilized ova; of or relating to a fraternity or society of usually men; like or characteristic of or befitting a brother. Other synonims: biovular, brotherly, brotherlike

synonymous

(a.) (of words) meaning the same or nearly the same

ignominious

(a.) (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame. Other synonims: black, disgraceful, inglorious, opprobrious, shameful

Mingy

(a.) (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity. Other synonims: mean, miserly, tight

mean

(a.) (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity; excellent; of no value or worth; (used of sums of money) so small in amount as to deserve contempt; characterized by malice; having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality; approximating the statistical norm or average or expected value; marked by poverty befitting a beggar; noun an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of the numbers and dividing by some function of n; (v.) destine or designate for a certain purpose; denote or connote; mean or intend to express or convey; have a specified degree of importance; have in mind as a purpose; intend to refer to; have as a logical consequence. Other synonims: mean value, intend, signify, stand for, mingy, miserly, tight, think, think of, have in mind, entail, imply, bastardly, beggarly, hateful, base, meanspirited, average

CLEMENT

(a.) (used of persons or behavior) inclined to show mercy; (of weather or climate) physically mild

supple

(a.) (used of persons' bodies) capable of moving or bending freely; (used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable; moving and bending with ease; (v.) make pliant and flexible. Other synonims: limber, lissome, lissom, lithe, lithesome, slender, svelte, sylphlike

able

(a.) (usually followed by `to') having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something; having inherent physical or mental ability or capacity; have the skills and qualifications to do things well; having a strong healthy body. Other synonims: capable, able-bodied

Antipathetic

(a.) (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed; characterized by antagonism or antipathy. Other synonims: antipathetical, averse, indisposed, loath, loth, antagonistic

indisposed

(a.) (usually followed by `to') strongly opposed; somewhat ill or prone to illness. Other synonims: antipathetic, antipathetical, averse, loath, loth, ailing, peaked, poorly, sickly, unwell, under the weather, seedy

sinuous

(a.) curved or curving in and out. Other synonims: sinuate, wiggly

binding

(a.) causing constipation; hindering freedom of movement; executed with proper legal authority; noun the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book; strip sewn over or along an edge for reinforcement or decoration; the capacity to attract and hold something; the act of applying a bandage. Other synonims: book binding, cover, back, constipating, constricting, dressing, bandaging

disconsolate

(a.) causing dejection; sad beyond comforting; incapable of being consoled. Other synonims: blue, dark, depressing, dingy, dismal, dispiriting, gloomy, grim, sorry, drab, drear, dreary, inconsolable, unconsolable

dire

(a.) causing fear or dread or terror; fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless. Other synonims: awful, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible, desperate

QUIESCENT

(a.) causing no symptoms; being quiet or still or inactive; not active or activated; marked by a state of tranquil repose

Ethnocentric

(a.) centered on a specific ethnic group, usually one's own

COLLOQUIAL

(a.) characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation. Other synonims: conversational

DISTAFF

(a.) characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; noun the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning; the sphere of work by women. Other synonims: female

Narcissistic

(a.) characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Other synonims: egotistic, egotistical, self-loving

ingenuous

(a.) characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious; lacking in sophistication or worldliness. Other synonims: artless, innocent

IRASCIBLE

(a.) characterized by anger; quickly aroused to anger. Other synonims: choleric, hotheaded, hot-tempered, quick-tempered, short-tempered

choleric

(a.) characterized by anger; quickly aroused to anger; easily moved to anger. Other synonims: irascible, hotheaded, hot-tempered, quick-tempered, short-tempered

DOGMATIC

(a.) characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative. Other synonims: dogmatical

POLTROON

(a.) characterized by complete cowardliness; noun an abject coward. Other synonims: craven, recreant

HETERODOX

(a.) characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards. Other synonims: dissident, heretical

dissident

(a.) characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards; disagreeing, especially with a majority; noun a person who dissents from some established policy. Other synonims: heretical, heterodox, dissenter, protester, objector, contestant, dissentient, dissenting

FORTHRIGHT

(a.) characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; adv. directly and without evasion; not roundabout. Other synonims: blunt, candid, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder, squarely, forthrightly

virile

(a.) characterized by energy and vigor; characteristic of a man; (of a male) capable of copulation. Other synonims: male, manful, manlike, manly, potent

gloomy

(a.) characterized by hopelessness; filled with gloom; depressingly dark; causing dejection; reflecting gloom; causing or suggestive of sorrow or gloom. Other synonims: grim, darkening, glooming, gloomful, sulky, blue, dark, depressing, dingy, disconsolate, dismal, dispiriting, sorry, drab, drear, dreary, glum, long-faced, depressive, saddening

iniquitous

(a.) characterized by iniquity; wicked because it is believed to be a sin. Other synonims: sinful, ungodly

jocose

(a.) characterized by jokes and good humor. Other synonims: jesting, jocular, joking

JOCULAR

(a.) characterized by jokes and good humor; adv. with humor. Other synonims: jesting, jocose, joking, jocosely

LUBRICIOUS

(a.) characterized by lust; having a smooth or slippery quality. Other synonims: lustful, prurient, salacious

melancholy

(a.) characterized by or causing or expressing sadness; grave or even gloomy in character; noun a feeling of thoughtful sadness; a constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed; a humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy. Other synonims: melancholic, black bile, somber, sombre

DECOROUS

(a.) characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste in manners and conduct; according with custom or propriety. Other synonims: becoming, comely, comme il faut, decent, seemly

ETHEREAL

(a.) characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy; of or containing or dissolved in ether; characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air; of heaven or the spirit. Other synonims: gossamer, aeriform, aerial, airy, aery, celestial, supernal

TAWDRY

(a.) cheap and shoddy; tastelessly showy. Other synonims: cheapjack, shoddy, brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky, tatty, trashy

frank

(a.) clearly manifest; evident; characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; noun a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll; a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century; (v.) exempt by means of an official pass or letter, as from customs or other checks; stamp with a postmark to indicate date and time of mailing. Other synonims: frankfurter, hotdog, hot dog, dog, wiener, wienerwurst, weenie, postmark, blunt, candid, forthright, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder

tenebrous

(a.) dark and gloomy. Other synonims: tenebrific, tenebrious

GERMANE

(a.) having close kinship and appropriateness. Other synonims: related

manifest

(a.) clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; noun a customs document listing the contents put on a ship or plane; (v.) reveal its presence or make an appearance; record in a ship's manifest; provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes. Other synonims: attest, certify, demonstrate, evidence, apparent, evident, patent, plain, unmistakable

impending

(a.) close in time; about to occur. Other synonims: at hand, close at hand, imminent, impendent

imminent

(a.) close in time; about to occur. Other synonims: at hand, close at hand, impendent, impending

droll

(a.) comical in an odd or whimsical manner

flat

(a.) commercially inactive; not reflecting light; not glossy; (of a tire) completely or partially deflated; having a relatively broad surface in relation to depth or thickness; having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another; lacking contrast or shading between tones; horizontally level; stretched out and lying at full length along the ground; sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch; lowered in pitch by one chromatic semitone; (of taxes) not increasing as the amount taxed increases; having lost effervescence; lacking the expected range or depth; not designed to give an illusion or depth; not modified or restricted by reservations; lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting; lacking taste or flavor or tang; flattened laterally along the whole length (e.g., certain leafstalks or flatfishes); adv. with flat sails; in a forthright manner; candidly or frankly; noun scenery consisting of a wooden frame covered with painted canvas; part of a stage setting; a deflated pneumatic tire; a shallow box in which seedlings are started; a musical notation indicating one half step lower than the note named; a level tract of land; a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house; freight car without permanent sides or roof. Other synonims: flat tire, mat, matt, matte, matted, level, plane, prostrate, monotone, monotonic, monotonous, fixed, apartment, flatcar, flatbed, two-dimensional, 2-dimensional, categoric, categorical, unconditional, bland, flavorless, flavourless, insipid, savorless, savourless, vapid, compressed, directly, straight

PUTATIVE

(a.) commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds. Other synonims: purported, reputed, supposed

everyday

(a.) commonplace and ordinary; found in the ordinary course of events; suited for everyday use. Other synonims: mundane, quotidian, routine, unremarkable, workaday, casual

RETROSPECTIVE

(a.) concerned with or related to the past; noun an exhibition of a representative selection of an artist's life work

AESTHETIC

(a.) concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste; aesthetically pleasing; relating to or dealing with the subject of aesthetics; noun (philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful. Other synonims: esthetic, aesthetical, esthetical, artistic, pleasing

pithy

(a.) concise and full of meaning. Other synonims: sententious

CLANDESTINE

(a.) conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. Other synonims: cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, underground

SURREPTITIOUS

(a.) conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed. Other synonims: clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, undercover, underground, furtive, sneak, sneaky, stealthy

SANGUINE

(a.) confidently optimistic and cheerful; inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life; noun a blood-red color. Other synonims: rubicund, ruddy, florid

ESOTERIC

(a.) confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

HETEROGENEOUS

(a.) consisting of elements that are not of the same kind or nature; originating outside the body. Other synonims: heterogenous

NACREOUS

(a.) consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl; having a play of lustrous rainbow-like colors. Other synonims: iridescent, opalescent, opaline, pearlescent

vociferous

(a.) conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry. Other synonims: blatant, clamant, clamorous, strident

clamorous

(a.) conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry. Other synonims: blatant, clamant, strident, vociferous

blatant

(a.) conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry; without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious. Other synonims: clamant, clamorous, strident, vociferous, blazing, conspicuous

flagrant

(a.) conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible. Other synonims: crying, egregious, glaring, gross, rank

EGREGIOUS

(a.) conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible. Other synonims: crying, flagrant, glaring, gross, rank

Sui Generis

(a.) constituting a class of its own; unique

INVIDIOUS

(a.) containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice. Other synonims: discriminatory

COMPLACENT

(a.) contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions. Other synonims: self-satisfied, self-complacent

vagrant

(a.) continually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another; noun a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support. Other synonims: drifter, floater, vagabond, aimless, drifting, floating

ANALOGOUS

(a.) corresponding in function but not in evolutionary origin; similar or equivalent in some respects though otherwise dissimilar. Other synonims: correspondent

prepossessing

(a.) creating a favorable impression

INCUMBENT

(a.) currently holding an office; necessary (for someone) as a duty or responsibility; morally binding; lying or leaning on something else; noun the official who holds an office. Other synonims: officeholder

tired

(a.) depleted of strength or energy; repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. (a.) depleted of strength or energy; repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. Other synonims: banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, trite, well-worn. Other synonims: banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, trite, well-worn

EMPIRICAL

(a.) derived from experiment and observation rather than theory; relying on medical quackery. Other synonims: Other synonims: empiric

culpable

(a.) deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil or injurious. Other synonims: blameworthy, blamable, blameable, blameful, censurable

hapless

(a.) deserving or inciting pity. Other synonims: miserable, misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, poor, wretched

CAPRICIOUS

(a.) determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable. Other synonims: impulsive, whimsical, freakish

ANOMALOUS

(a.) deviating from the general or common order or type

INANE

(a.) devoid of intelligence. Other synonims: asinine, fatuous, mindless, vacuous

fatuous

(a.) devoid of intelligence. Other synonims: asinine, inane, mindless, vacuous

VACUOUS

(a.) devoid of matter; void of expression; devoid of significance or point; devoid of intelligence. Other synonims: blank, empty, hollow, asinine, fatuous, inane, mindless

voracious

(a.) devouring or craving food in great quantities; excessively greedy and grasping. Other synonims: edacious, esurient, rapacious, ravening, ravenous, wolfish

ravenous

(a.) devouring or craving food in great quantities; extremely hungry. Other synonims: edacious, esurient, rapacious, ravening, voracious, wolfish, famished, sharp-set, starved

devout

(a.) devoutly religious; earnest. Other synonims: god-fearing, pious, dear, earnest, heartfelt

ARDUOUS

(a.) difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable mental effort and skill; characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort; taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance. Other synonims: backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing, toilsome, straining, strenuous

RECONDITE

(a.) difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. Other synonims: abstruse, deep

abstruse

(a.) difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge. Other synonims: deep, recondite

unwieldy

(a.) difficult to work or manipulate; difficult to use or handle or manage because of size or weight or shape; lacking grace in movement or posture. Other synonims: unmanageable, gawky, clumsy, clunky, ungainly

Affable

(a.) diffusing warmth and friendliness. Other synonims: amiable, cordial, genial

DAUNTING

(a.) discouraging through fear. Other synonims: intimidating

SLOTHFUL

(a.) disinclined to work or exertion. Other synonims: faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, work-shy

FAINEANT

(a.) disinclined to work or exertion. Other synonims: indolent, lazy, otiose, slothful, work-shy

AMENABLE

(a.) disposed or willing to comply; liable to answer to a higher authority; open to being acted upon in a certain way; readily reacting to suggestions and influences. Other synonims: conformable, responsive, tractable

credulous

(a.) disposed to believe on little evidence; showing a lack of judgment or experience

AMIABLE

(a.) disposed to please; diffusing warmth and friendliness. Other synonims: good-humored, good-humoured, affable, cordial, genial

audacious

(a.) disposed to venture or take risks; unrestrained by convention or propriety; invulnerable to fear or intimidation. Other synonims: daring, venturesome, venturous, barefaced, bodacious, bald-faced, brassy, brazen, brazen-faced, insolent, brave, dauntless, fearless, intrepid, unfearing

CONTRABAND

(a.) distributed or sold illicitly; noun goods whose importation or exportation or possession is prohibited by law. Other synonims: bootleg, black, black-market, smuggled

flaccid

(a.) drooping without elasticity; wanting in stiffness; lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance. Other synonims: lax, limp, slack, soft, flabby

platitudinous

(a.) dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality. Other synonims: bromidic, corny, platitudinal

corny

(a.) dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality. Other synonims: bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous

bromidic

(a.) dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality; given to uttering bromides. Other synonims: corny, platitudinal, platitudinous

JADED

(a.) dulled by surfeit; exhausted. Other synonims: wearied

chthonic

(a.) dwelling beneath the surface of the earth. Other synonims: chthonian, nether

acquisitive

(a.) eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas

VENIAL

(a.) easily excused or forgiven; warranting only temporal punishment. Other synonims: excusable, forgivable, minor

peevish

(a.) easily irritated or annoyed. Other synonims: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peckish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, testy, tetchy, techy

MENDACIOUS

(a.) intentionally untrue; given to lying. Other synonims: lying

Abstract

(a.) existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment; dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention; not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature; noun a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory; (v.) consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically; consider apart from a particular case or instance; give an abstract (of); make off with belongings of others. Other synonims: abstractionist, nonfigurative, nonobjective, abstraction, outline, synopsis, precis, pilfer, cabbage, purloin, pinch, snarf, swipe, hook, sneak, filch, nobble, lift

unspoken

(a.) expressed without speech; especially because words would be inappropriate or inadequate; not made explicit. Other synonims: mute, tongueless, wordless, unexpressed, unsaid, unstated, unuttered, unverbalized, unverbalised, unvoiced

PEJORATIVE

(a.) expressing disapproval. Other synonims: dyslogistic, dislogistic

scornful

(a.) expressing extreme contempt. Other synonims: contemptuous, disdainful, insulting

SCURRILOUS

(a.) expressing offensive reproach. Other synonims: abusive, insulting, opprobrious

plaintive

(a.) expressing sorrow. Other synonims: mournful

supercilious

(a.) expressive of contempt; having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. Other synonims: sneering, snide, disdainful, haughty, lordly, prideful, sniffy, swaggering

Derogatory

(a.) expressive of low opinion. Other synonims: derogative, disparaging

EFFUSIVE

(a.) extravagantly demonstrative; uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm. Other synonims: emotional, gushing, gushy, burbling, burbly

REACTIONARY

(a.) extremely conservative; noun an extreme conservative; an opponent of progress or liberalism. Other synonims: ultraconservative, extreme right-winger, reactionist, far-right

diabolical

(a.) extremely evil or cruel; expressive of cruelty or befitting hell; showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil. Other synonims: demonic, diabolic, fiendish, hellish, infernal, satanic, unholy, devilish, mephistophelian, mephistophelean

FERVENT

(a.) extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion. Other synonims: fervid, ardent, burning, fervid, fiery, impassioned, perfervid, torrid

exiguous

(a.) extremely scanty

nefarious

(a.) extremely wicked. Other synonims: villainous

remiss

(a.) failing in what duty requires. Other synonims: derelict, delinquent, neglectful

JINGOISTIC

(a.) fanatically patriotic. Other synonims: chauvinistic, flag-waving, nationalistic, ultranationalistic, superpatriotic

SALUBRIOUS

(a.) favorable to health of mind or body; promoting health; healthful. Other synonims: healthy, good for you

CHAGRINED

(a.) feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious. Other synonims: abashed, embarrassed

PENITENT

(a.) feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds; noun (Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor). Other synonims: repentant

contrite

(a.) feeling regret for a fault or offence; feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses. Other synonims: remorseful, rueful, ruthful

STEADFAST

(a.) firm and dependable especially in loyalty; marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable. Other synonims: staunch, unswerving, firm, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwavering

RESOLUTE

(a.) firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination; characterized by quickness and firmness. Other synonims: unhesitating

CONVENTIONAL

(a.) following accepted customs and proprieties; unimaginative and conformist; (weapons) using energy for propulsion or destruction that is not nuclear energy; in accord with or being a tradition or practice accepted from the past; conforming with accepted standards; represented in simplified or symbolic form; rigidly formal or bound by convention. Other synonims: established, formal, schematic, ceremonious

UXORIOUS

(a.) foolishly fond of or submissive to your wife

emphatic

(a.) forceful and definite in expression or action; sudden and strong; spoken with emphasis. Other synonims: forceful, exclamatory, emphasized, emphasised

CLAIRVOYANT

(a.) foreseeing the future; perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses; noun someone who has the power of clairvoyance. Other synonims: precognitive, second-sighted

SQUALID

(a.) foul and run-down and repulsive; morally degraded. Other synonims: flyblown, sordid, seamy, seedy, sleazy

QUOTIDIAN

(a.) found in the ordinary course of events. Other synonims: everyday, mundane, routine, unremarkable, workaday

CATHOLIC

(a.) free from provincial prejudices or attachments; of or relating to or supporting Catholicism; noun a member of a Catholic church

IRREPROACHABLE

(a.) free of guilt; not subject to blame. Other synonims: blameless, inculpable, unimpeachable

SONOROUS

(a.) full and loud and deep. Other synonims: heavy

JOVIAL

(a.) full of or showing high-spirited merriment. Other synonims: gay, jocund, jolly, merry, mirthful

NOTORIOUS

(a.) having an exceedingly bad reputation. Other synonims: ill-famed, infamous

DEFUNCT

(a.) having ceased to exist or live; no longer in force or use; inactive. Other synonims: dead

vocal

(a.) full of the sound of voices; having or using the power to produce speech or sound; relating to or designed for or using the singing voice; given to expressing yourself freely or insistently; noun a short musical composition with words; music intended to be performed by one or more singers, usually with instrumental accompaniment. Other synonims: song, vocal music, outspoken

GARRULOUS

(a.) full of trivial conversation. Other synonims: chatty, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky

ancillary

(a.) furnishing added support. Other synonims: accessory, adjunct, adjuvant, appurtenant, auxiliary, subsidiary

Aggregate

(a.) gathered or tending to gather into a mass or whole; formed of separate units in a cluster; noun a sum total of many heterogenous things taken together; the whole amount; (v.) gather in a mass, sum, or whole; amount in the aggregate to. Other synonims: congeries, conglomeration, combine, aggregated, aggregative, mass, sum, total, totality

MAGNANIMOUS

(a.) generous and understanding and tolerant; noble and generous in spirit. Other synonims: big, large, greathearted

Eleemosynary

(a.) generous in assistance to the poor. Other synonims: beneficent, benevolent, philanthropic

outspoken

(a.) given to expressing yourself freely or insistently; characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Other synonims: vocal, blunt, candid, forthright, frank, free-spoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder

SESQUIPEDALIAN

(a.) given to the overuse of long words; (of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables; noun a very long word (a foot and a half long). Other synonims: sesquipedalia, polysyllabic

fastidious

(a.) giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness; having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial cultures. Other synonims: exacting

HORTATORY

(a.) giving strong encouragement. Other synonims: exhortative, exhortatory, hortative

Ardent

(a.) glowing or shining like fire; characterized by strong enthusiasm; characterized by intense emotion. Other synonims: warm, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, impassioned, perfervid, torrid

sovereign

(a.) greatest in status or authority or power; (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces; noun a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right. Other synonims: crowned head, monarch, supreme, autonomous, independent, self-governing

querulous

(a.) habitually complaining. Other synonims: fretful, whiney, whining, whiny

fretful

(a.) habitually complaining; unable to relax or be still. Other synonims: querulous, whiney, whining, whiny, antsy, fidgety, itchy, restless

TACITURN

(a.) habitually reserved and uncommunicative

deleterious

(a.) harmful to living things. Other synonims: hurtful, injurious

Acerbic

(a.) harsh or corrosive in tone; sour or bitter in taste. Other synonims: acerb, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent, vitriolic, astringent

Acerb

(a.) harsh or corrosive in tone; sour or bitter in taste. Other synonims: acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent, vitriolic, astringent

acrid

(a.) harsh or corrosive in tone; strong and sharp; "the pungent taste of radishes". Other synonims: acerb, acerbic, acid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent, vitriolic, pungent

CENSORIOUS

(a.) harshly critical or expressing censure

cursory

(a.) hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough. Other synonims: casual, passing, perfunctory

Perfunctory

(a.) hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; as a formality only. Other synonims: casual, cursory, passing, pro forma

MISANTHROPIC

(a.) hating mankind in general; believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others. Other synonims: misanthropical, cynical

churlish

(a.) having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish

JAUNTY

(a.) having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air; marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners. Other synonims: chipper, debonair, debonaire, dapper, dashing, natty, raffish, rakish, spiffy, snappy, spruce

LUCID

(a.) having a clear mind; (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable; transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner. Other synonims: limpid, luculent, pellucid, crystal clear, perspicuous, crystalline, transparent, coherent, logical

DIURNAL

(a.) having a daily cycle or occurring every day; belonging to or active during the day

cantankerous

(a.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate. Other synonims: crotchety, ornery, bloody-minded

cryptic

(a.) having a puzzling terseness; of an obscure nature; having a secret or hidden meaning. Other synonims: cryptical, deep, inscrutable, mysterious, mystifying, cabalistic, kabbalistic, qabalistic, sibylline

debonair

(a.) having a sophisticated charm; having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air. Other synonims: debonaire, debonnaire, suave, chipper, jaunty

cherubic

(a.) having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub. Other synonims: angelic, angelical, seraphic, sweet

VARIEGATED

(a.) having a variety of colors. Other synonims: varicolored, varicoloured

halcyon

(a.) idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity; noun a mythical bird said to breed at the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to have the power of calming the winds and waves; a large kingfisher widely distributed in warmer parts of the Old World; (Greek mythology) a woman who was turned into a kingfisher. Other synonims: genus Halcyon, Alcyone, golden, prosperous

AVARICIOUS

(a.) immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth. Other synonims: covetous, grabby, grasping, greedy, prehensile

restive

(a.) impatient especially under restriction or delay; being in a tense state. Other synonims: edgy, high-strung, highly strung, in suspense, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, uptight

IMPALPABLE

(a.) imperceptible to the senses or the mind; not perceptible to the touch; incapable of being perceived by the senses especially the sense of touch. Other synonims: intangible

INCORRIGIBLE

(a.) impervious to correction by punishment

INTRANSIGENT

(a.) impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason. Other synonims: adamant, adamantine, inexorable

INEXORABLE

(a.) impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason; not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty. Other synonims: adamant, adamantine, intransigent, grim, relentless, stern, unappeasable, unforgiving, unrelenting

adamant

(a.) impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason; noun very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem. Other synonims: adamantine, inexorable, intransigent, diamond

IRRECONCILABLE

(a.) impossible to reconcile. Other synonims: unreconcilable

INSATIABLE

(a.) impossible to satisfy. Other synonims: insatiate, unsatiable

VENERABLE

(a.) impressive by reason of age; profoundly honored. Other synonims: august, revered

TATTERDEMALION

(a.) in deplorable condition; worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing; noun a dirty shabbily clothed urchin. Other synonims: ragamuffin, bedraggled, broken-down, derelict, dilapidated, ramshackle, tumble-down, tattered

Apprehensive

(a.) in fear or dread of possible evil or harm; mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc; quick to understand. Other synonims: worried, discerning

SUBVERSIVE

(a.) in opposition to a civil authority or government; noun a radical supporter of political or social revolution. Other synonims: revolutionist, revolutionary, subverter, insurgent, seditious

dormant

(a.) inactive but capable of becoming active; of e.g. volcanos; not erupting and not extinct; in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation. Other synonims: inactive, hibernating, torpid

implacable

(a.) incapable of being placated

florid

(a.) inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life; elaborately or excessively ornamented. Other synonims: rubicund, ruddy, sanguine, aureate, flamboyant

surly

(a.) inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace. Other synonims: ugly

disparate

(a.) including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

tacit

(a.) indicated by necessary connotation though not expressed directly. Other synonims: implied, silent, understood

zero

(a.) indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration; indicating an initial point or origin; having no measurable or otherwise determinable value; of or relating to the null set (a set with no members); noun the quantity that registers a reading of zero on a scale; a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number; a quantity of no importance; (v.) adjust (as by firing under test conditions) the zero of (a gun); adjust (an instrument or device) to zero value. Other synonims: zero point, zero in, nothing, nil, nix, nada, null, aught, cipher, cypher, goose egg, naught, zilch, zip, zippo

IATROGENIC

(a.) induced by a physician's words or therapy (used especially of a complication resulting from treatment)

virulent

(a.) infectious; having the ability to cause disease; harsh or corrosive in tone; extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom. Other synonims: acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, vitriolic, deadly

infinitesimal

(a.) infinitely or immeasurably small; noun (mathematics) a variable that has zero as its limit. Other synonims: minute, microscopic

OMNISCIENT

(a.) infinitely wise. Other synonims: all-knowing

punitive

(a.) inflicting punishment. Other synonims: punitory

noxious

(a.) injurious to physical or mental health. Other synonims: harmful

REDOUBTABLE

(a.) inspiring fear; having or worthy of pride. Other synonims: formidable, unnerving, glorious, illustrious, respected

GREGARIOUS

(a.) instinctively or temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others; (of animals) tending to form a group with others of the same species; (of plants) growing in groups that are close together

didactic

(a.) instructive (especially excessively). Other synonims: didactical

CONCILIATORY

(a.) intended or likely to overcome animosity or hostility; making or willing to make concessions. Other synonims: conciliative, compromising, flexible

OSTENTATIOUS

(a.) intended to attract notice and impress others; of a display that is tawdry or vulgar. Other synonims: pretentious, kitsch

SPURIOUS

(a.) intended to deceive; born out of wedlock; plausible but false. Other synonims: inauthentic, unauthentic, bastardly, misbegot, misbegotten, specious

INTANGIBLE

(a.) lacking substance or reality; incapable of being touched or seen; hard to pin down or identify; incapable of being perceived by the senses especially the sense of touch; (of especially business assets) not having physical substance or intrinsic productive value; noun assets that are saleable though not material or physical. Other synonims: intangible asset, nonphysical, impalpable

wan

(a.) lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness; abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress; (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble; noun a computer network that spans a wider area than does a local area network; (v.) become pale and sickly. Other synonims: wide area network, pale, pallid, sick

desiccate

(a.) lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; (v.) lose water or moisture; remove water from; preserve by removing all water and liquids from. Other synonims: exsiccate, dehydrate, dry up, arid, desiccated

pedestrian

(a.) lacking wit or imagination; noun a person who travels by foot. Other synonims: walker, footer, prosaic, prosy, earthbound

COMMODIOUS

(a.) large and roomy (`convenient' is archaic in this sense). Other synonims: convenient

capacious

(a.) large in capacity

COPIOUS

(a.) large in number or quantity (especially of discourse); affording an abundant supply. Other synonims: voluminous, ample, plenteous, plentiful, rich

TRANSITORY

(a.) lasting a very short time. Other synonims: ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transient, fugacious

FUGACIOUS

(a.) lasting a very short time. Other synonims: ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transient, transitory

EPHEMERAL

(a.) lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form. Other synonims: passing, short-lived, transient, transitory, fugacious, ephemeron

WIZENED

(a.) lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness. Other synonims: shriveled, shrivelled, shrunken, withered, wizen

scant

(a.) less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so; (v.) limit in quality or quantity; supply sparingly and with restricted quantities; work hastily or carelessly; deal with inadequately and superficially. Other synonims: skimp, stint, light, short

sublime

(a.) lifted up or set high; inspiring awe; of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style; worthy of adoration or reverence; (v.) vaporize and then condense right back again; change or cause to change directly from a solid into a vapor without first melting. Other synonims: sublimate, empyreal, empyrean, exalted, grand, high-flown, high-minded, lofty, rarefied, rarified, idealistic, noble-minded, reverend

AVUNCULAR

(a.) like an uncle in kindness or indulgence; being or relating to an uncle.

MERETRICIOUS

(a.) like or relating to a prostitute; based on pretense; deceptively pleasing; tastelessly showy. Other synonims: gilded, specious, brassy, cheap, flash, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, tacky, tatty, tawdry, trashy

CREPUSCULAR

(a.) like twilight; dim

Archaic

(a.) little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period. Other synonims: primitive, antediluvian, antiquated

prone

(a.) lying face downward; having a tendency (to); often used in combination. Other synonims: prostrate

SUPINE

(a.) lying face upward; offering no resistance. Other synonims: resupine, resistless, unresisting

predisposed

(a.) made susceptible

MANIFOLD

(a.) many and varied; having many features or forms; noun a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes; a set of points such as those of a closed surface or an analogue in three or more dimensions; a lightweight paper used with carbon paper to make multiple copies; (v.) make multiple copies of; combine or increase by multiplication. Other synonims: multiplex, manifold paper, multiply

perverse

(a.) marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict; marked by immorality; deviating from what is considered right or proper or good; resistant to guidance or discipline. Other synonims: depraved, immoral, perverted, reprobate, contrary, obstinate, wayward

PEDANTIC

(a.) marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects. Other synonims: academic, donnish

VOLUBLE

(a.) marked by a ready flow of speech

nonchalant

(a.) marked by blithe unconcern. Other synonims: casual, insouciant

INSOUCIANT

(a.) marked by blithe unconcern. Other synonims: casual, nonchalant

ASSIDUOUS

(a.) marked by care and persistent effort. Other synonims: sedulous

impudent

(a.) marked by casual disrespect; improperly forward or bold. Other synonims: insolent, snotty-nosed, flip, fresh, impertinent, overbold, smart, saucy, sassy, wise

DUPLICITOUS

(a.) marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another. Other synonims: ambidextrous, deceitful, double-dealing, Janus-faced, two-faced, double-faced, double-tongued

SANGUINARY

(a.) marked by eagerness to resort to violence and bloodshed; accompanied by bloodshed. Other synonims: bloodthirsty, bloody-minded, gory, sanguineous, slaughterous, butcherly

METICULOUS

(a.) marked by extreme care in treatment of details; marked by precise accordance with details. Other synonims: punctilious

scathing

(a.) marked by harshly abusive criticism. Other synonims: blistering, scalding, vituperative

ordinary

(a.) not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered; noun (heraldry) any of several conventional figures used on shields; an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel; a judge of a probate court; a clergyman appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death; the expected or commonplace condition or situation. Other synonims: ordinary bicycle, average

infrequent

(a.) not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals

VESTIGIAL

(a.) not fully developed in mature animals. Other synonims: rudimentary

Awry

(a.) not functioning properly; turned or twisted toward one side; adv. away from the correct or expected course; turned or twisted to one side. Other synonims: amiss, haywire, wrong, askew, cockeyed, lopsided, wonky, skew-whiff

STAGNANT

(a.) not growing or changing; without force or vitality; not circulating or flowing. Other synonims: moribund, dead

impecunious

(a.) not having enough money to pay for necessities. Other synonims: hard up, in straitened circumstances, penniless, penurious, pinched

PARANORMAL

(a.) not in accordance with scientific laws; seemingly outside normal sensory channels. Other synonims: extrasensory

innocuous

(a.) not injurious to physical or mental health; not causing disapproval; lacking intent or capacity to injure; unlikely to harm or disturb anyone. Other synonims: harmless, unobjectionable, innocent

irregular

(a.) not occurring at expected times; independent in behavior or thought; of a surface; not level or flat; lacking continuity or regularity; contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice; (of solids) not having clear dimensions that can be measured; volume must be determined with the principle of liquid displacement; (used of the military) not belonging to or engaged in by regular army forces; deviating from normal expectations; somewhat odd, strange, or abnormal; noun merchandise that has imperfections; usually sold at a reduced price without the brand name; a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment. Other synonims: second, unpredictable, maverick, unorthodox, temporary, guerrilla, guerilla, insurgent, atypical

unoriginal

(a.) not original; not being or productive of something fresh and unusual

IMPENITENT

(a.) not penitent or remorseful; impervious to moral persuasion. Other synonims: unrepentant, unremorseful

insipid

(a.) not pleasing to the sense of taste; lacking interest or significance; lacking significance or impact; lacking taste or flavor or tang. Other synonims: jejune, bland, flat, flavorless, flavourless, savorless, savourless, vapid

VISIONARY

(a.) not practical or realizable; speculative; noun a person with unusual powers of foresight; a person given to fanciful speculations and enthusiasms with little regard for what is actually possible. Other synonims: illusionist, seer, airy, impractical, Laputan, windy

LATENT

(a.) not presently active; potentially existing but not presently evident or realized

FACTITIOUS

(a.) not produced by natural forces

IMPROVIDENT

(a.) not provident; not providing for the future; not given careful consideration. Other synonims: ill-considered, ill-judged, shortsighted

QUIXOTIC

(a.) not sensible about practical matters; unrealistic. Other synonims: romantic, wild-eyed

DISINGENUOUS

(a.) not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness. Other synonims: artful

IMMUTABLE

(a.) not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature. Other synonims: changeless

intractable

(a.) not tractable; difficult to manage or mold

trifling

(a.) not worth considering; noun the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working. Other synonims: dalliance, dawdling, negligible, paltry

conspicuous

(a.) obvious to the eye or mind; without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious. Other synonims: blatant, blazing

CONVIVIAL

(a.) occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company. Other synonims: good-time

occasional

(a.) occurring from time to time; occurring or appearing at usually irregular intervals; occuring from time to time. Other synonims: episodic, casual

spasmodic

(a.) occurring in spells and often abruptly; affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm. Other synonims: fitful, convulsive, spastic

POSTHUMOUS

(a.) occurring or coming into existence after a person's death

INCESSANT

(a.) occurring so frequently as to seem ceaseless or uninterrupted; uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing. Other synonims: perpetual, endless, ceaseless, constant, never-ending, unceasing, unremitting

TRANSIENT

(a.) of a mental act; causing effects outside the mind; lasting a very short time; noun (physics) a short-lived oscillation in a system caused by a sudden change of voltage or current or load; one who stays for only a short time. Other synonims: transeunt, ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transitory, fugacious

APODICTIC

(a.) of a proposition; necessarily true or logically certain. Other synonims: apodeictic

Austere

(a.) of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect; severely simple; practicing great self-denial. Other synonims: stern, severe, stark, ascetic, ascetical, spartan

VITRIOLIC

(a.) of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; harsh or corrosive in tone. Other synonims: caustic, corrosive, erosive, mordant, acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent

CAUSTIC

(a.) of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; harsh or corrosive in tone; noun any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue. Other synonims: corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, mordant, acerb, acerbic, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent

MORDANT

(a.) of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; harshly ironic or sinister; noun a substance used to treat leather or other materials before dyeing; aids in dyeing process. Other synonims: caustic, corrosive, erosive, vitriolic, black, grim

old

(a.) of a very early stage in development; old in experience; (used for emphasis) very familiar; of long duration; not new; (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; just preceding something else in time or order; (used informally especially for emphasis); belonging to some prior time; noun past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old'). Other synonims: older, previous, honest-to-god, honest-to-goodness, sure-enough, erstwhile, former, onetime, quondam, sometime

INSCRUTABLE

(a.) of an obscure nature. Other synonims: cryptic, cryptical, deep, mysterious, mystifying

rarified

(a.) of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style; reserved for an elite group; having low density. Other synonims: exalted, sublime, grand, high-flown, high-minded, lofty, rarefied, idealistic, noble-minded, rare

PORTENTOUS

(a.) of momentous or ominous significance; puffed up with vanity; ominously prophetic. Other synonims: prodigious, grandiloquent, overblown, pompous, pontifical, fateful, foreboding

nugatory

(a.) of no real value

puerile

(a.) of or characteristic of a child; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity. Other synonims: adolescent, jejune, juvenile

PARVENU

(a.) of or characteristic of a parvenu; characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position; noun a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class. Other synonims: parvenue, upstart, nouveau-riche, arriviste, parvenue

VERNAL

(a.) of or characteristic of or occurring in spring; suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh. Other synonims: youthful, young

PRAGMATIC

(a.) of or concerning the theory of pragmatism; concerned with practical matters; guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; noun an imperial decree that becomes part of the fundamental law of the land. Other synonims: pragmatical, pragmatic sanction, matter-of-fact, hardheaded, hard-nosed, practical

CIVIL

(a.) of or in a condition of social order; not rude; marked by satisfactory (or especially minimal) adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others; (of divisions of time) legally recognized in ordinary affairs of life; applying to ordinary citizens; of or relating to or befitting citizens as individuals; of or occurring within the state or between or among citizens of the state. Other synonims: polite, civic

TECTONIC

(a.) of or pertaining to construction or architecture; pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust. Other synonims: architectonic

PASTORAL

(a.) of or relating to a pastor; suggestive of an idyll; charmingly simple and serene; used of idealized country life; relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle; noun a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds); a letter from a pastor to the congregation; a musical composition that evokes rural life. Other synonims: pastorale, idyll, idyllic, arcadian, bucolic, rustic

SPECTRAL

(a.) of or relating to a spectrum; resembling or characteristic of a phantom. Other synonims: apparitional, ghostlike, ghostly, phantasmal, spiritual

OLFACTORY

(a.) of or relating to olfaction. Other synonims: olfactive

TANGENTIAL

(a.) of or relating to or acting along or in the direction of a tangent; of superficial relevance if any. Other synonims: digressive

PHILANTHROPIC

(a.) of or relating to or characterized by philanthropy; generous in assistance to the poor. Other synonims: beneficent, benevolent, eleemosynary

MNEMONIC

(a.) of or relating to or involved the practice of aiding the memory; noun a device (such as a rhyme or acronym) used to aid recall. Other synonims: mnemotechnic, mnemotechnical

PYRRHIC

(a.) of or relating to or resembling Pyrrhus or his exploits (especially his sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the Romans); of or relating to or containing a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables; of or relating to a war dance of ancient Greece; noun an ancient Greek dance imitating the motions of warfare; a metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables. Other synonims: dibrach

lapidary

(a.) of or relating to precious stones or the art of working with them; noun a skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stones; an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them. Other synonims: lapidist, lapidarist

martial

(a.) of or relating to the armed forces; (of persons) befitting a warrior; suggesting war or military life; noun Roman poet noted for epigrams (first century BC). Other synonims: soldierly, soldierlike, warriorlike, warlike

CARNAL

(a.) of or relating to the body or flesh; marked by the appetites and passions of the body. Other synonims: animal, fleshly, sensual

genial

(a.) of or relating to the chin or median part of the lower jaw; diffusing warmth and friendliness; agreeable, conducive to comfort. Other synonims: mental, affable, amiable, cordial, kind

CHARISMATIC

(a.) possessing an extraordinary ability to attract. Other synonims: magnetic

pecuniary

(a.) relating to or involving money. Other synonims: monetary

RECIPROCAL

(a.) of or relating to the multiplicative inverse of a quantity or function; concerning each of two or more persons or things; especially given or done in return; noun something (a term or expression or concept) that has a reciprocal relation to something else; hybridization involving a pair of crosses that reverse the sexes associated with each genotype; (mathematics) one of a pair of numbers whose product is 1: the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2; the multiplicative inverse of 7 is 1/7. Other synonims: mutual, reciprocal cross, multiplicative inverse

tumid

(a.) of sexual organs; stiff and rigid; abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas; ostentatiously lofty in style. Other synonims: erect, bloated, distended, puffed, puffy, swollen, intumescent, tumescent, turgid, bombastic, declamatory, large, orotund

ecumenical

(a.) of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions. Other synonims: cosmopolitan, oecumenical, general, universal, worldwide, world-wide, ecumenic, oecumenic

fetid

(a.) offensively malodorous. Other synonims: foetid, foul, foul-smelling, funky, noisome, smelly, stinking, ill-scented

NOISOME

(a.) offensively malodorous; causing or able to cause nausea. Other synonims: fetid, foetid, foul, foul-smelling, funky, smelly, stinking, ill-scented, nauseating, nauseous, queasy, loathsome, offensive, sickening, vile

autocratic

(a.) offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power; characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty. Other synonims: bossy, dominating, high-and-mighty, magisterial, peremptory, authoritarian, dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical

FUSTY

(a.) old-fashioned and out of date; stale and unclean smelling. Other synonims: standpat, unprogressive, nonprogressive, musty, frowsty

SUPERANNUATED

(a.) old; no longer in use or valid or fashionable; too old to be useful; discharged as too old for use or work; especially with a pension. Other synonims: obsolete, outdated, out-of-date, overage, overaged, over-the-hill, retired

FOREBODING

(a.) ominously prophetic; noun an unfavorable omen; a feeling of evil to come. Other synonims: premonition, presentiment, boding, fateful, portentous

PERIPHERAL

(a.) on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area; related to the key issue but not of central importance; noun (computer science) electronic equipment connected by cable to the CPU of a computer. Other synonims: computer peripheral, peripheral device

incipient

(a.) only partly in existence; imperfectly formed. Other synonims: inchoate

INCHOATE

(a.) only partly in existence; imperfectly formed. Other synonims: incipient

overt

(a.) open and observable; not secret or hidden. Other synonims: open

candid

(a.) openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness; informal or natural; especially caught off guard or unprepared; characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Other synonims: open, heart-to-heart, blunt, forthright, frank, free-spoken, outspoken, plainspoken, point-blank, straight-from-the-shoulder

indigenous

(a.) originating where it is found. Other synonims: autochthonal, autochthonic, autochthonous, endemic

BOMBASTIC

(a.) ostentatiously lofty in style. Other synonims: declamatory, large, orotund, tumid, turgid

watery

(a.) overly diluted; thin and insipid; relating to or resembling or consisting of water; filled with water; wet with secreted or exuded moisture such as sweat or tears. Other synonims: washy, weak, reeking, dripping

DELINQUENT

(a.) past due; not paid at the scheduled time; persistently bad; guilty of a minor misdeed; failing in what duty requires; noun a young offender. Other synonims: juvenile delinquent, overdue, derelict, neglectful, remiss

IDIOSYNCRATIC

(a.) peculiar to the individual

TANGIBLE

(a.) perceptible by the senses especially the sense of touch; (of especially business assets) having physical substance and intrinsic monetary value; capable of being treated as fact; capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt. Other synonims: touchable, real, palpable

DISCERNIBLE

(a.) perceptible by the senses or intellect; capable of being seen or noticed; capable of being perceived clearly. Other synonims: discernable, evident, observable

facile

(a.) performing adroitly and without effort; arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth; expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively. Other synonims: eloquent, fluent, silver, silver-tongued, smooth-spoken

CALLIPYGIAN

(a.) pertaining to or having finely developed buttocks. Other synonims: callipygous

Niggardly

(a.) petty or reluctant in giving or spending. Other synonims: grudging, scrimy

SPECIOUS

(a.) plausible but false; based on pretense; deceptively pleasing. Other synonims: spurious, gilded, meretricious

benign

(a.) pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence; kindness of disposition or manner; not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor). Other synonims: benignant

mellifluous

(a.) pleasing to the ear. Other synonims: dulcet, honeyed, mellisonant, sweet

dulcet

(a.) pleasing to the ear; extremely pleasant in a gentle way. Other synonims: honeyed, mellifluous, mellisonant, sweet

INDIGENT

(a.) poor enough to need help from others. Other synonims: destitute, impoverished, necessitous, needy, poverty-stricken

DESTITUTE

(a.) poor enough to need help from others; completely wanting or lacking. Other synonims: impoverished, indigent, necessitous, needy, poverty-stricken, barren, devoid, innocent

ANTECEDENT

(a.) preceding in time or order; noun the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun; a preceding occurrence or cause or event; anything that precedes something similar in time; someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent). Other synonims: forerunner, preceding, ancestor, ascendant, ascendent, root

PRECEDENT

(a.) preceding in time, order, or significance; noun an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time; a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time); (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions; a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws. Other synonims: case in point, case law, common law

EXPLICIT

(a.) precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable; leaving nothing to implication; in accordance with fact or the primary meaning of a term. Other synonims: expressed, denotative

ill

(a.) presaging ill fortune; distressing; resulting in suffering or adversity; indicating hostility or enmity; affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function; adv. (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well; with difficulty or inconvenience; scarcely or hardly; unfavorably or with disapproval; noun an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining. Other synonims: inauspicious, ominous, sick, badly, poorly, ailment, complaint

OMINOUS

(a.) presaging ill fortune; threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments. Other synonims: ill, inauspicious, baleful, forbidding, menacing, minacious, minatory, sinister, threatening

CONGENITAL

(a.) present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development. Other synonims: inborn, innate

propitious

(a.) presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs or success

IGNEOUS

(a.) produced by the action of fire or intense heat; produced under conditions involving intense heat; like or suggestive of fire. Other synonims: eruptive, pyrogenic, pyrogenous, fiery

DOMESTIC

(a.) produced in a particular country; of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation; of or involving the home or family; converted or adapted to domestic use; of or relating to the home; noun a servant who is paid to perform menial tasks around the household. Other synonims: domestic help, house servant, domesticated

Profuse

(a.) produced or growing in extreme abundance. Other synonims: exuberant, lush, luxuriant, riotous

LUCRATIVE

(a.) producing a sizeable profit. Other synonims: moneymaking, remunerative

effectual

(a.) producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect; having legal efficacy or force. Other synonims: effective, efficacious, legal, sound

PROVIDENT

(a.) providing carefully for the future; careful in regard to your own interests

RECLUSIVE

(a.) providing privacy or seclusion; withdrawn from society; seeking solitude. Other synonims: cloistered, secluded, sequestered, recluse, withdrawn

GRANDILOQUENT

(a.) puffed up with vanity; lofty in style. Other synonims: overblown, pompous, pontifical, portentous, magniloquent, tall

quibbling

(a.) quibbling over insignificant details. Other synonims: caviling, carping, nitpicking, pettifogging

ADROIT

(a.) quick or skillful or adept in action or thought; skillful (or showing skill) in adapting means to ends. Other synonims: clever, ingenious

REFULGENT

(a.) radiating or as if radiating light. Other synonims: beaming, beamy, effulgent, radiant

pugnacious

(a.) ready and able to resort to force or violence; tough and callous by virtue of experience. Other synonims: rough, hard-bitten, hard-boiled

SPENDTHRIFT

(a.) recklessly wasteful; noun someone who spends money prodigally. Other synonims: spend-all, spender, scattergood, extravagant, prodigal, profligate

distinct

(a.) recognizable; marked; easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined; (often followed by `from') not alike; different in nature or quality; clearly or sharply defined to the mind; constituting a separate entity or part. Other synonims: decided, distinguishable, clear-cut, trenchant, discrete

PERENNIAL

(a.) recurring again and again; lasting three seasons or more; lasting an indefinitely long time; suggesting self-renewal; noun a plant lasting for three seasons or more. Other synonims: recurrent, repeated

SPORADIC

(a.) recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

Agnate

(a.) related on the father's side; noun one related on the father's side. Other synonims: patrikin, patrilineal kin, patrisib, patrilineal sib, agnatic, paternal

SYLVAN

(a.) relating to or characteristic of wooded regions; noun a spirit that lives in or frequents the woods. Other synonims: silvan

MERCURIAL

(a.) relating to or containing or caused by mercury; relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change. Other synonims: erratic, fickle, quicksilver

FATALISTIC

(a.) relating to or implying fatalism; believing in or inclined to fatalism. Other synonims: fatalist

FATALIST

(a.) relating to or implying fatalism; believing in or inclined to fatalism; noun anyone who submits to the belief that they are powerless to change their destiny Other synonims: determinist, predestinarian, predestinationist, fatalistic

CATEGORICAL

(a.) relating to or included in a category or categories; not modified or restricted by reservations. Other synonims: categoric, flat, unconditional

trite

(a.) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. (a.) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. Other synonims: banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, well-worn. Other synonims: banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, well-worn

hackneyed

(a.) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. Other synonims: banal, commonplace, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

banal

(a.) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse. Other synonims: commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, stock, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn

REDUNDANT

(a.) repetition of same sense in different words; more than is needed, desired, or required. Other synonims: pleonastic, tautologic, tautological, excess, extra, spare, supererogatory, superfluous, supernumerary, surplus

DELINEATE

(a.) represented accurately or precisely; (v.) describe in vivid detail; trace the shape of; make a mark or lines on a surface; determine the essential quality of; show the form or outline of. Other synonims: limn, outline, trace, draw, line, describe, specify, define, delimit, delimitate, delineated, represented

OSTENSIBLE

(a.) represented or appearing as such; pretended; appearing as such but not necessarily so. Other synonims: ostensive, apparent, seeming

PREREQUISITE

(a.) required as a prior condition or course of study; noun something that is required in advance. Other synonims: requirement

required

(a.) required by rule; necessary for relief or supply. Other synonims: compulsory, mandatory, needed, needful, requisite

mandatory

(a.) required by rule; noun a territory surrendered by Turkey or Germany after World War I and put under the tutelage of some other European power until they are able to stand by themselves; the recipient of a mandate. Other synonims: mandate, mandatary, compulsory, required

SEDENTARY

(a.) requiring sitting or little activity

OBSTINATE

(a.) resistant to guidance or discipline; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing; tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield; (v.) persist stubbornly. Other synonims: contrary, perverse, wayward, cussed, obdurate, unrepentant, stubborn, unregenerate

UNDAUNTED

(a.) resolutely courageous; unshaken in purpose. Other synonims: undismayed, unshaken

sumptuous

(a.) rich and superior in quality. Other synonims: deluxe, gilded, grand, luxurious, opulent, princely

OPULENT

(a.) rich and superior in quality. Other synonims: deluxe, gilded, grand, luxurious, princely, sumptuous

square

(a.) rigidly conventional or old-fashioned; without evasion or compromise; leaving no balance; having four equal sides and four right angles or forming a right angle; characterized by honesty and fairness; providing abundant nourishment; adv. firmly and solidly; in a square shape; in a straight direct way; noun a hand tool consisting of two straight arms at right angles; used to construct or test right angles; any artifact having a shape similar to a plane geometric figure with four equal sides and four right angles; a formal and conservative person with old-fashioned views; someone who doesn't understand what is going on; the product of two equal terms; (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon; something approximating the shape of a square; an open area at the meeting of two or more streets; (v.) make square; raise to the second power; position so as to be square; pay someone and settle a debt; be compatible with; cause to match, as of ideas or acts; turn the oar, while rowing; turn the paddle; in canoeing. Other synonims: square toes, lame, second power, foursquare, square up, straight, straightforward, public square, feather, hearty, satisfying, solid, substantial, squarely

stock

(a.) routine; repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse; regularly and widely used or sold; noun the merchandise that a shop has on hand; the handle end of some implements or tools; the handle of a handgun or the butt end of a rifle or shotgun or part of the support of a machine gun or artillery gun; lumber used in the construction of something; any of several Old World plants cultivated for their brightly colored flowers; a plant or stem onto which a graft is made; especially a plant grown specifically to provide the root part of grafted plants; persistent thickened stem of a herbaceous perennial plant; the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest (equity); the reputation and popularity a person has; not used technically; any animals kept for use or profit; an ornamental white cravat; liquid in which meat and vegetables are simmered; used as a basis for e.g. soups or sauces; a special variety of domesticated animals within a species; the descendants of one individual; any of various ornamental flowering plants of the genus Malcolmia; a supply of something available for future use; a certificate documenting the shareholder's ownership in the corporation; (v.) have on hand; provide or furnish with a stock of something; stock up on to keep for future use or sale; supply with livestock; supply with fish; equip with a stock; put forth and grow sprouts or shoots. Other synonims: inventory, gunstock, gillyflower, caudex, carry, stockpile, buy in, livestock, farm animal, neckcloth, broth, breed, strain, lineage, line, line of descent, descent, bloodline, blood line, blood, pedigree, ancestry, origin, parentage, stemma, Malcolm stock, store, fund, stock certificate, sprout, banal, commonplace, hackneyed, old-hat, shopworn, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn, standard

STOIC

(a.) seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive; pertaining to Stoicism or its followers; noun a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno; someone who is seemingly indifferent to emotions. Other synonims: unemotional person, stoical

cardinal

(a.) serving as an essential component; being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; noun crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male; a variable color averaging a vivid red; (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes; the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order. Other synonims: cardinal grosbeak, Richmondena Cardinalis, Cardinalis cardinalis, redbird, carmine, central, fundamental, key, primal, cardinal number

STATIC

(a.) showing little if any change; not active or moving; not in physical motion; concerned with or producing or caused by static electricity; noun angry criticism; a crackling or hissing noise cause by electrical interference. Other synonims: atmospherics, atmospheric static, stable, unchanging, inactive, motionless, still, electrostatic

VINDICTIVE

(a.) showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge. Other synonims: despiteful, spiteful, revengeful, vengeful

PENSIVE

(a.) showing pensive sadness; persistently or morbidly thoughtful. Other synonims: wistful, brooding, broody, contemplative, meditative, musing, pondering, reflective, ruminative

dolorous

(a.) showing sorrow. Other synonims: dolourous, lachrymose, tearful, weeping

obdurate

(a.) showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing. Other synonims: flinty, granitic, stony, cussed, obstinate, unrepentant

ALTRUISTIC

(a.) showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Other synonims: selfless

CORDIAL

(a.) sincerely or intensely felt; showing warm and heartfelt friendliness; diffusing warmth and friendliness; noun strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal. Other synonims: hearty, liqueur, affable, amiable, genial

PROFOUND

(a.) situated at or extending to great depth; too deep to have been sounded or plumbed; coming from deep within one; of the greatest intensity; complete; showing intellectual penetration or emotional depths; from the depths of your being; (of sleep) deep and complete; far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something. Other synonims: unfathomed, unplumbed, unsounded, heavy, sound, wakeless, fundamental

intrinsic

(a.) situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts; belonging to a thing by its very nature. Other synonims: intrinsical

ELUSIVE

(a.) skillful at eluding capture; difficult to describe; be difficult to detect or grasp by the mind. Other synonims: evasive, subtle

deft

(a.) skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands. Other synonims: dexterous, dextrous

sagacious

(a.) skillful in statecraft or management; acutely insightful and wise. Other synonims: perspicacious, sapient

TORPID

(a.) slow and apathetic; in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation. Other synonims: inert, sluggish, soggy, dormant, hibernating

INERT

(a.) slow and apathetic; unable to move or resist motion; having only a limited ability to react chemically; chemically inactive. Other synonims: sluggish, soggy, torpid, indifferent, neutral

suave

(a.) smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication; having a sophisticated charm. Other synonims: politic, smooth, bland, debonair, debonaire, debonnaire

Antiquated

(a.) so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period. Other synonims: antediluvian, archaic

hideous

(a.) so extremely ugly as to be terrifying; grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror. Other synonims: repulsive, horrid, horrific, outrageous

PRODIGIOUS

(a.) so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe; far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree; of momentous or ominous significance. Other synonims: colossal, stupendous, exceeding, exceptional, olympian, surpassing, portentous

NEGLIGIBLE

(a.) so small as to be meaningless; insignificant; not worth considering. Other synonims: paltry, trifling

diaphanous

(a.) so thin as to transmit light. Other synonims: filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebby

lucent

(a.) softly bright or radiant. Other synonims: aglow, lambent, luminous

wholesome

(a.) sound or exhibiting soundness in body or mind; conducive to or characteristic of physical or moral well-being

Abstemious

(a.) sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; marked by temperance in indulgence. Other synonims: light

rotund

(a.) spherical in shape; excessively fat; (of sounds) full and rich. Other synonims: corpulent, obese, weighty, orotund, round, pear-shaped

constant

(a.) steadfast in purpose or devotion or affection; continually recurring or continuing without interruption; uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing; persistent in occurrence and unvarying in nature; noun a quantity that does not vary; a number representing a quantity assumed to have a fixed value in a specified mathematical context. Other synonims: constant quantity, invariable, continuant, ceaseless, incessant, never-ending, perpetual, unceasing, unremitting, changeless, invariant, unvarying

obtrusive

(a.) sticking out; protruding; undesirably noticeable. Other synonims: noticeable

TENACIOUS

(a.) sticking together; good at remembering; stubbornly unyielding. Other synonims: coherent, retentive, recollective, long, dogged, dour, pertinacious, unyielding

EXTANT

(a.) still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost

PUNGENT

(a.) strong and sharp; "the pungent taste of radishes"; capable of wounding. Other synonims: acrid, barbed, biting, nipping, mordacious

DOCTRINAIRE

(a.) stubbornly insistent on theory without regard for practicality or suitability; noun a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions. Other synonims: dogmatist

PERTINACIOUS

(a.) stubbornly unyielding. Other synonims: dogged, dour, tenacious, unyielding

SERVILE

(a.) submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior; relating to or involving slaves

minuscule

(a.) very small; of or relating to a small cursive script developed from uncial; 7th to 9th centuries; lowercase; noun a small cursive script developed from uncial between the 7th and 9th centuries and used in medieval manuscripts; the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case. Other synonims: miniscule, minuscular, small letter, lowercase, lower-case letter, little, small

emaciated

(a.) very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold. Other synonims: bony, cadaverous, gaunt, haggard, pinched, skeletal, wasted

haggard

(a.) very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold; showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering; noun British writer noted for romantic adventure novels (1856-1925). Other synonims: Rider Haggard, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, bony, cadaverous, emaciated, gaunt, pinched, skeletal, wasted, careworn, drawn, raddled, worn

tenuous

(a.) very thin in gauge or diameter; having thin consistency; having little substance or significance. Other synonims: flimsy, slight, thin

boisterous

(a.) violently agitated and turbulent; noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; full of rough and exuberant animal spirits. Other synonims: fierce, rough, rambunctious, robustious, rumbustious, unruly, knockabout

laggard

(a.) wasting time; inclined to waste time and lag behind; noun someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind. Other synonims: dawdler, drone, lagger, trailer, poke, dilatory, poky, pokey

DILATORY

(a.) wasting time; inclined to waste time and lag behind; using cautious slow strategy to wear down opposition; avoiding direct confrontation. Other synonims: laggard, poky, pokey, fabian

feral

(a.) wild and menacing. Other synonims: ferine, savage

MANIACAL

(a.) wildly disordered. Other synonims: maniac

MANIAC

(a.) wildly disordered; noun a person who has an obsession with or excessive enthusiasm for something; an insane person. Other synonims: lunatic, madman, maniacal

DOCILE

(a.) willing to be taught or led or supervised or directed; easily handled or managed; ready and willing to be taught. Other synonims: gentle, teachable

gingerly

(a.) with extreme care or delicacy; adv. in a gingerly manner

IMPROMPTU

(a.) with little or no preparation or forethought; adv. without advance preparation; noun an extemporaneous speech or remark; a short musical passage that seems to have been made spontaneously without advance preparation. Other synonims: ad-lib, extemporaneous, extemporary, extempore, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, unrehearsed, ad lib, ad libitum, spontaneously

RECLUSE

(a.) withdrawn from society; seeking solitude; noun one who lives in solitude. Other synonims: reclusive, withdrawn, hermit, solitary, solitudinarian, troglodyte

GRATUITOUS

(a.) without cause; unnecessary and unwarranted; costing nothing. Other synonims: needless, uncalled-for, complimentary, costless, free, gratis

UNSCRUPULOUS

(a.) without scruples or principles

ITINERANT

(a.) working for a short time in different places; traveling from place to place to work; noun a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment. Other synonims: gypsy, gipsy, road, touring, traveling

PERNICIOUS

(a.) working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; exceedingly harmful. Other synonims: insidious, subtle, baneful, deadly, pestilent

INSIDIOUS

(a.) working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; intended to entrap; beguiling but harmful.. Other synonims: pernicious, subtle

LAUDABLE

(a.) worthy of high praise. Other synonims: applaudable, commendable, praiseworthy

EPISTOLARY

(a.) written in the form of or carried on by letters or correspondence. Other synonims: epistolatory

CALLOW

(a.) young and inexperienced. Other synonims: fledgling, unfledged

FLEDGLING

(a.) young and inexperienced; (of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers; noun young bird that has just fledged or become capable of flying; any new participant in some activity. Other synonims: fledgeling, unfledged, callow, newcomer, starter, neophyte, freshman, newbie, entrant

PLETHORA

(n.) extreme excess. Other synonims: overplus, superfluity, embarrassment

CUPIDITY

(n.) extreme greed for material wealth. Other synonims: avarice, avariciousness, covetousness

BOOR

(n.) a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement. Other synonims: peasant, barbarian, churl, Goth, tyke, tike

CYNICISM

(n.) a cynical feeling of distrust

COVENANT

(n.) (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return; a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action; (v.) enter into a covenant or formal agreement; enter into a covenant. Other synonims: compact, concordat

INCARNATION

(n.) (Christianity) the Christian doctrine of the union of God and man in the person of Jesus Christ; time passed in a particular bodily form; the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas etc.; a new personification of a familiar idea. Other synonims: personification, embodiment, avatar

MYRMIDON

(n.) (Greek mythology) a member of the warriors who followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy; a follower who carries out orders without question

ZEPHYR

(n.) (Greek mythology) the Greek god of the west wind; a slight wind (usually refreshing). Other synonims: breeze, gentle wind, air

VITRIOL

(n.) (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry; abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will; (v.) subject to bitter verbal abuse; expose to the effects of vitriol or injure with vitriol. Other synonims: oil of vitriol, sulfuric acid, sulphuric acid, vituperation, invective

NIRVANA

(n.) (Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness; any place of complete bliss and delight and peace. Other synonims: enlightenment, Eden, paradise, heaven, promised land, Shangri-la

KARMA

(n.) (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

fissure

(n.) (anatomy) a long narrow slit or groove that divides an organ into lobes; a long narrow opening; a long narrow depression in a surface; (v.) break into fissures or fine cracks. Other synonims: crack, cleft, crevice, scissure, cranny, chap

PAEAN

(n.) (ancient Greece) a hymn of praise (especially one sung in ancient Greece to invoke or thank a deity); a formal expression of praise. Other synonims: pean, encomium, eulogy, panegyric

Augur

(n.) (ancient Rome) a religious official who interpreted omens to guide public policy; (v.) predict from an omen; indicate by signs. Other synonims: auspex, bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict

CONSANGUINITY

(n.) (anthropology) related by blood. Other synonims: blood kinship, cognation

anomaly

(n.) (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun); a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule. Other synonims: unusual person, anomalousness

ONTOGENY

(n.) (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level. Other synonims: growth, growing, maturation, development, ontogenesis

parry

(n.) (fencing) blocking a lunge or deflecting it with a circular motion of the sword; a return punch (especially by a boxer); (v.) impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball); avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues). Other synonims: block, deflect, counterpunch, counter, hedge, fudge, evade, put off, circumvent, elude, skirt, dodge, duck, sidestep

HERALD

(n.) (formal) a person who announces important news; an indication of the approach of something or someone; (v.) praise vociferously; greet enthusiastically or joyfully; foreshadow or presage. Other synonims: trumpeter, harbinger, forerunner, precursor, acclaim, hail, announce, annunciate, foretell

LEGACY

(n.) (law) a gift of personal property by will. Other synonims: bequest

injunction

(n.) (law) a judicial remedy issued in order to prohibit a party from doing or continuing to do a certain activity; a formal command or admonition. Other synonims: enjoining, enjoinment, cease and desist order

POSTULATE

(n.) (logic) a proposition that is accepted as true in order to provide a basis for logical reasoning; (v.) take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom; maintain or assert; require as useful, just, or proper. Other synonims: posit, contend, necessitate, ask, need, require, take, involve, call for, demand

Axiom

(n.) (logic) a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof; its truth is assumed to be self-evident; a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits. Other synonims: maxim

regime

(n.) (medicine) a systematic plan for therapy (often including diet); the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. Other synonims: regimen, government, authorities

SOLIPSISM

(n.) (philosophy) the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist

Aegis

(n.) 1 : a shield or breastplate. 2 a : PROTECTION, DEFENSE *the unfailing aegis of the law* b : a set of favorable circumstances *to live under the aegis of complete toleration and understanding* c : controlling or conditioning influence *literary activity under the aegis of symbolism— Carlos Lynes* 3 a : patronage, backing, or sponsorship especially when afforded by a notable or authoritative organization, group, or individual : AUSPICES b : LEADERSHIP *the country rallying under the aegis of the prince* c : control, guidance, or direction especially as afforded by an organization, group, individual, system, or doctrine of notable or authoritative influence *under the aegis of the government— R.A.Tybout* Other synonims: auspices, protection, breastplate, egis

detriment

(n.) a damage or loss. Other synonims: hurt

NIMBUS

(n.) a dark grey cloud bearing rain; an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint. Other synonims: nimbus cloud, rain cloud, aura, aureole, halo, glory, gloriole

EMIGREE

(n.) someone who leaves one country to settle in another. Other synonims: emigrant, emigre, outgoer

Revere

(n.) American silversmith remembered for his midnight ride (celebrated in a poem by Longfellow) to warn the colonists in Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming (1735-1818); a lapel on a woman's garment; turned back to show the reverse side; (v.) love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol; regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. Other synonims: Paul Revere, revers, idolize, idolise, worship, hero-worship, reverence, fear, venerate

Tome

(n.) a (usually) large and scholarly book

BEGUINE

(n.) a ballroom dance that originated in the French West Indies; similar to the rumba; music written in the bolero rhythm of the beguine dance; (Roman Catholic Church) a member of a lay sisterhood (one of several founded in the Netherlands in the 12th and 13th centuries); though not taking religious vows the sisters followed an austere life

IDIOSYNCRASY

(n.) a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual. Other synonims: foible, mannerism

doctrine

(n.) a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school. Other synonims: philosophy, philosophical system, school of thought, ism

MEANDER

(n.) a bend or curve, as in a stream or river; an aimless amble on a winding course; (v.) to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course. Other synonims: ramble, weave, wind, thread, wander

QUEUE

(n.) a braid of hair at the back of the head; (information processing) an ordered list of tasks to be performed or messages to be transmitted; a line of people or vehicles waiting for something; (v.) form a queue, form a line, stand in line. Other synonims: waiting line, line up, queue up

envoy

(n.) a brief stanza concluding certain forms of poetry; a diplomat having less authority than an ambassador; someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else. Other synonims: envoi, envoy extraordinary, minister plenipotentiary, emissary

googol

(n.) a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by 100 zeros (ten raised to the power of a hundred)

luminary

(n.) a celebrity who is an inspiration to others. Other synonims: leading light, guiding light, notable, notability

poise

(n.) a cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter; the viscosity of a fluid in which a force of one dyne per square centimeter maintains a velocity of 1 centimeter per second; a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium; great coolness and composure under strain; (v.) hold or carry in equilibrium; cause to be balanced or suspended; be motionless, in suspension; prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult. Other synonims: balance, aplomb, assuredness, cool, sang-froid, brace

Aspect

(n.) a characteristic to be considered; a distinct feature or element in a problem; the beginning or duration or completion or repetition of the action of a (v.); the feelings expressed on a person's face; the visual percept of a region. Other synonims: facet, expression, look, facial expression, face, view, prospect, scene, vista, panorama

bludgeon

(n.) a club used as a weapon; (v.) overcome or coerce as if by using a heavy club; strike with a club or a bludgeon. Other synonims: club

Anthology

(n.) a collection of selected literary passages

FARCE

(n.) a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations; mixture of ground raw chicken and mushrooms with pistachios and truffles and onions and parsley and lots of butter and bound with eggs; (v.) fill with a stuffing while cooking. Other synonims: farce comedy, travesty, stuff, forcemeat

METAMORPHOSIS

(n.) a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft; the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals; a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances. Other synonims: metabolism, transfiguration

travesty

(n.) a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way; a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations; (v.) make a travesty of. Other synonims: parody, lampoon, spoof, sendup, mockery, takeoff, burlesque, charade, pasquinade, put-on, farce, farce comedy

Adage

(n.) a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people. Other synonims: proverb, saw, byword

gestalt

(n.) a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts

arguing

(n.) a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement. Other synonims: controversy, contention, contestation, disputation, disceptation, tilt, argument

CONTINUUM

(n.) a continuous nonspatial whole or extent or succession in which no part or portion is distinct of distinguishable from adjacent parts

figment

(n.) a contrived or fantastic idea

amity

(n.) a cordial disposition; a state of friendship and cordiality. Other synonims: cordiality

EMENDATION

(n.) a correction by emending; a correction resulting from critical editing

INTERDICT

(n.) a court order prohibiting a party from doing a certain activity; an ecclesiastical censure by the Roman Catholic Church withdrawing certain sacraments and Christian burial from a person or all persons in a particular district; (v.) destroy by firepower, such as an enemy's line of communication; command against. Other synonims: interdiction, forbid, prohibit, proscribe, veto, disallow

DEFERENCE

(n.) a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard; courteous regard for people's feelings; a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others. Other synonims: respect, respectfulness, complaisance, compliance, compliancy, obligingness

MACHINATION

(n.) a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends. Other synonims: intrigue

will

(n.) a fixed and persistent intent or purpose; a legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention; (v.) determine by choice; have in mind; decree or ordain; leave or give by will after one's death. Other synonims: testament, wish, volition, bequeath, leave

charlatan

(n.) a flamboyant deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes. Other synonims: mountebank

Confluence

(n.) a flowing together; a place where things merge or flow together (especially rivers); a coming together of people. Other synonims: conflux, merging, meeting, concourse

PRESAGE

(n.) a foreboding about what is about to happen; a sign of something about to happen; (v.) indicate by signs. Other synonims: omen, portent, prognostic, prognostication, prodigy, bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict

Encomium

(n.) a formal expression of praise. Other synonims: eulogy, panegyric, paean, pean

kowtow

(n.) a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission; (v.) try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; bend the knees and bow in a servile manner. Other synonims: kotow, fawn, toady, truckle, bootlick, suck up, scrape, genuflect

PENUMBRA

(n.) a fringe region of partial shadow around an umbra

LARGESS

(n.) a gift or money given (as for service or out of benevolence); usually given ostentatiously; liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit. Other synonims: largesse, munificence, magnanimity, openhandedness

HOYDEN

(n.) a girl who behaves in a boyish manner. Other synonims: tomboy, romp

wane

(n.) a gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number); (v.) decrease in phase; become smaller; grow smaller. Other synonims: ebb, ebbing, decline, go down

SUBSIDY

(n.) a grant paid by a government to an enterprise that benefits the public

CHIMERA

(n.) a grotesque product of the imagination; (Greek mythology) fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head and a goat's body and a serpent's tail; daughter of Typhon. Other synonims: chimaera, Chimaera

quaff

(n.) a hearty draft; (v.) to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught. Other synonims: gulp, swig

CACHE

(n.) a hidden storage space (for money or provisions or weapons); (computer science) RAM memory that is set aside as a specialized buffer storage that is continually updated; used to optimize data transfers between system elements with different characteristics; a secret store of valuables or money; (v.) save up as for future use. Other synonims: memory cache, hoard, stash, lay away, hive up, squirrel away

exodus

(n.) a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment; the second book of the Old Testament: tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led by Moses; God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus. Other synonims: hegira, hejira, Book of Exodus

JAUNT

(n.) a journey taken for pleasure; (v.) make a trip for pleasure. Other synonims: excursion, outing, junket, pleasure trip, expedition, sashay, travel, trip

PILGRIMAGE

(n.) a journey to a sacred place. Other synonims: pilgrim's journey

cataract

(n.) a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice; clouding of the natural lens of the eye

shag

(n.) a lively dance step consisting of hopping on each foot in turn; a fabric with long coarse nap; a matted tangle of hair or fiber; a strong coarse tobacco that has been shredded; slang for sexual intercourse; (v.) dance the shag. Other synonims: screw, screwing, ass, nooky, nookie, piece of ass, piece of tail, roll in the hay, shtup

ODYSSEY

(n.) a long wandering and eventful journey; a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer) describing the journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy

TRUCKLE

(n.) a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; (v.) yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering. Other synonims: trundle bed, trundle, truckle bed, fawn, toady, bootlick, kowtow, kotow, suck up

INCUBUS

(n.) a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream. Other synonims: nightmare

FOP

(n.) a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance. Other synonims: dandy, dude, gallant, sheik, beau, swell, fashion plate, clotheshorse

CUCKOLD

(n.) a man whose wife committed adultery; (v.) be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage. Other synonims: cheat on, cheat, betray, wander

STRATAGEM

(n.) a maneuver in a game or conversation; an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade. Other synonims: ploy, gambit, contrivance, dodge

MANIFESTATION

(n.) a manifest indication of the existence or presence or nature of some person or thing; a clear appearance; a public display of group feelings (usually of a political nature); expression without words; an appearance in bodily form (as of a disembodied spirit). Other synonims: demonstration, expression, reflection, reflexion, materialization, materialisation

LEVITY

(n.) a manner lacking seriousness; feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness

matron

(n.) a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified; a woman in charge of nursing in a medical institution; a wardress in a prison. Other synonims: head nurse

EXPONENT

(n.) a mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself; someone who expounds and interprets or explains; a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea. Other synonims: power, index, advocate, advocator, proponent

SANCTION

(n.) a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards; the act of final authorization; formal and explicit approval; official permission or approval; (v.) give religious sanction to, such as through on oath; give authority or permission to; give sanction to. Other synonims: countenance, endorsement, indorsement, warrant, imprimatur, authority, authorization, authorisation, approve, O.K., okay

potion

(n.) a medicinal or magical or poisonous beverage

LEITMOTIF

(n.) a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas). Other synonims: leitmotiv

NOMAD

(n.) a member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons

Aristocrat

(n.) a member of the aristocracy. Other synonims: blue blood, patrician

SPECTER

(n.) a mental representation of some haunting experience; a ghostly appearing figure. Other synonims: ghost, shade, spook, wraith, spectre, apparition, phantom, phantasm, phantasma, fantasm

surmise

(n.) a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence; (v.) infer from incomplete evidence; imagine to be the case or true or probable. Other synonims: guess, conjecture, supposition, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis, suspect

reproach

(n.) a mild rebuke or criticism; disgrace or shame; (v.) express criticism towards. Other synonims: upbraid

MISOGYNIST

(n.) a misanthrope who dislikes women in particular. Other synonims: woman hater

hiatus

(n.) a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript); a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure; an interruption in the intensity or amount of something. Other synonims: foramen, suspension, respite, reprieve, abatement

FARRAGO

(n.) a motley assortment of things. Other synonims: odds and ends, oddments, melange, ragbag, mishmash, mingle-mangle, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, gallimaufry, omnium-gatherum

defile

(n.) a narrow pass (especially one between mountains); (v.) place under suspicion or cast doubt upon; spot, stain, or pollute; make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically. Other synonims: gorge, sully, corrupt, taint, cloud, foul, befoul, maculate, tarnish, stain

AFFINITY

(n.) a natural attraction or feeling of kinship; inherent resemblance between persons or things; the force attracting atoms to each other and binding them together in a molecule; (immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody; a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character; (biology) state of relationship between organisms or groups of organisms resulting in resemblance in structure or structural parts; (anthropology) kinship by marriage or adoption; not a blood relationship. Other synonims: chemical attraction, kinship, phylogenetic relation

PROCLIVITY

(n.) a natural inclination. Other synonims: propensity, leaning

Dada

(n.) a nihilistic art movement (especially in painting) that flourished in Europe early in the 20th century; based on irrationality and negation of the accepted laws of beauty; an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk. Other synonims: dadaism, dad, daddy, pa, papa, pappa, pop

Affray

(n.) a noisy fight; noisy quarrel. Other synonims: disturbance, fray, ruffle, altercation, fracas

VIRAGO

(n.) a noisy or scolding or domineering woman; a large strong and aggressive woman. Other synonims: amazon

MELEE

(n.) a noisy riotous fight. Other synonims: scrimmage, battle royal

exploit

(n.) a notable achievement; (v.) use or manipulate to one's advantage; draw from; make good use of; work excessively hard. Other synonims: work, tap, deed, feat, effort, overwork

Mollycoddle

(n.) a pampered darling; an effeminate man; (v.) treat with excessive indulgence. Other synonims: pamper, featherbed, cosset, cocker, baby, coddle, spoil, indulge

respite

(n.) a pause from doing something (as work); a pause for relaxation; the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment; an interruption in the intensity or amount of something; a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort; (v.) postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution. Other synonims: recess, break, time out, rest, relief, rest period, reprieve, suspension, hiatus, abatement

DELEGATE

(n.) a person appointed or elected to represent others; (v.) give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person); transfer power to someone. Other synonims: designate, depute, assign

Archivist

(n.) a person in charge of collecting and cataloguing archives

IMMIGRANT

(n.) a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there

SPELUNKER

(n.) a person who explores caves. Other synonims: potholer, speleologist, spelaeologist

PRECURSOR

(n.) a person who goes before or announces the coming of another; a substance from which another substance is formed (especially by a metabolic reaction); an indication of the approach of something or someone. Other synonims: forerunner, harbinger, herald

CENSOR

(n.) a person who is authorized to read publications or correspondence or to watch theatrical performances and suppress in whole or in part anything considered obscene or politically unacceptable; someone who censures or condemns; (v.) subject to political, religious, or moral censorship; forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper). Other synonims: ban

gourmand

(n.) a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess. Other synonims: glutton, gourmandizer, trencherman

PARIAH

(n.) a person who is rejected (from society or home). Other synonims: outcast, castaway, Ishmael

GAD

(n.) a sharp prod fixed to a rider's heel and used to urge a horse onward; an anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling of lightheadedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months; (v.) wander aimlessly in search of pleasure. Other synonims: spur, generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety reaction, gallivant, jazz around

Acerbity

(n.) a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner. Other synonims: tartness, bitterness, acrimony, jaundice, thorniness

EPILOGUE

(n.) a short passage added at the end of a literary work; a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play. Other synonims: epilog

portent

(n.) a sign of something about to happen. Other synonims: omen, presage, prognostic, prognostication, prodigy

STIGMA

(n.) a skin lesion that is a diagnostic sign of some disease; an external tracheal aperture in a terrestrial arthropod; the apical end of the style where deposited pollen enters the pistil; a symbol of disgrace or infamy. Other synonims: mark, brand, stain

soupcon

(n.) a slight but appreciable addition. Other synonims: touch, hint, tinge, mite, pinch, jot, speck

intimation

(n.) a slight suggestion or vague understanding; an indirect suggestion. Other synonims: inkling, glimmering, glimmer, hint, breath

spark

(n.) a small fragment of a burning substance thrown out by burning material or by friction; Scottish writer of satirical novels (born in 1918); a small but noticeable trace of some quality that might become stronger; merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance; a momentary flash of light; electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field; (v.) emit or produce sparks; put in motion or move to act. Other synonims: Muriel Spark, Dame Muriel Spark, Muriel Sarah Spark, sparkle, twinkle, light, flicker, glint, discharge, arc, electric arc, electric discharge, trip, actuate, trigger, activate, set off, spark off, trigger off, touch off

modicum

(n.) a small or moderate or token amount

settee

(n.) a small sofa; a long wooden bench with a back. Other synonims: settle

CROTCHET

(n.) a small tool or hooklike implement; a strange attitude or habit; a musical note having the time value of a quarter of a whole note; a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook. Other synonims: oddity, queerness, quirk, quirkiness, quarter note, hook

DINGLE

(n.) a small wooded hollow. Other synonims: dell

PROLETARIAT

(n.) a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages. Other synonims: labor, labour, working class

FRATERNITY

(n.) a social club for male undergraduates; people engaged in a particular occupation. Other synonims: frat, brotherhood, sodality

pablum

(n.) a soft form of cereal for infants; worthless or oversimplified ideas. Other synonims: pap

QUAGMIRE

(n.) a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot. Other synonims: mire, quag, morass, slack

MORASS

(n.) a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot. Other synonims: mire, quagmire, quag, slack

THRENODY

(n.) a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person. Other synonims: dirge, coronach, lament, requiem

fester

(n.) a sore that has become inflamed and formed pus; (v.) ripen and generate pus. Other synonims: suppurating sore, maturate, suppurate

MILLENNIUM

(n.) a span of 1000 years; the 1000th anniversary (or the celebration of it); (New Testament) in Revelations it is foretold that those faithful to Jesus will reign with Jesus over the earth for a thousand years; the meaning of these words have been much debated; some denominations (e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses) expect it to be a thousand years of justice and peace and happiness. Other synonims: millenary

scintilla

(n.) a sparkling glittering particles; a tiny or scarcely detectable amount. Other synonims: shred, whit, iota, tittle, smidgen, smidgeon, smidgin, smidge

task

(n.) a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee; any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted; (v.) assign a task to; use to the limit. Other synonims: job, chore, undertaking, project, labor, tax

TIRADE

(n.) a speech of violent denunciation. Other synonims: philippic, broadside

IMPRESARIO

(n.) a sponsor who books and stages public entertainments. Other synonims: showman, promoter

SASHAY

(n.) a square dance figure; partners circle each other taking sideways steps; a journey taken for pleasure; (ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading; (v.) move sideways; perform a chasse step, in ballet; to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others. Other synonims: excursion, jaunt, outing, junket, pleasure trip, expedition, chasse, sidle, tittup, swagger, ruffle, prance, strut, cock

lethargy

(n.) a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness); inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy; weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy. Other synonims: lassitude, sluggishness, languor, phlegm, flatness, inanition, slackness

penury

(n.) a state of extreme poverty or destitution. Other synonims: indigence, need, pauperism, pauperization

CULPABILITY

(n.) a state of guilt. Other synonims: blameworthiness, culpableness

STAGNATION

(n.) a state of inactivity (in business or art etc); inactivity of liquids; being stagnant; standing still; without current or circulation. Other synonims: stagnancy, doldrums

PROGENITOR

(n.) an ancestor in the direct line. Other synonims: primogenitor

throttle

(n.) a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine; a pedal that controls the throttle valve; (v.) reduce the air supply; place limits on (extent or access); kill by squeezing the throat of so as to cut off the air. Other synonims: accelerator, throttle valve, accelerator pedal, gas pedal, gas, gun, choke, restrict, restrain, trammel, limit, bound, confine, strangle, strangulate

SALLY

(n.) a venture off the beaten path; a military action in which besieged troops burst forth from their position; witty remark. Other synonims: sallying forth, sortie, wisecrack, crack, quip

GOAD

(n.) a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something; a pointed instrument that is used to prod into a state of motion; (v.) stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick; urge with or as if with a goad; goad or provoke,as by constant criticism; give heart or courage to. Other synonims: goading, prod, prodding, urging, spur, spurring, prick, needle

IMBROGLIO

(n.) a very embarrassing misunderstanding; an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation. Other synonims: embroilment

trice

(n.) a very short time (as the time it takes the eye blink or the heart to beat); (v.) hoist up or in and lash or secure with a small rope; raise with a line. Other synonims: trice up, blink of an eye, flash, heartbeat, instant, jiffy, split second, twinkling, wink, New York minute

MAGNATE

(n.) a very wealthy or powerful businessman. Other synonims: baron, big businessman, business leader, king, mogul, power, top executive, tycoon

RETORT

(n.) a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat; a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one); (v.) answer back. Other synonims: come back, repay, return, riposte, rejoin, rejoinder, replication, comeback, counter

DOWAGER

(n.) a widow holding property received from her deceased husband

DOYENNE

(n.) a woman who is the senior member of a group

PALINDROME

(n.) a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward

drivel

(n.) a worthless message; saliva spilling from the mouth; (v.) let saliva drivel from the mouth. Other synonims: garbage, drool, slabber, slaver, slobber, dribble

WARRANT

(n.) a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts; a type of security issued by a corporation (usually together with a bond or preferred stock) that gives the holder the right to purchase a certain amount of common stock at a stated price; a written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications; formal and explicit approval; (v.) stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of; show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for. Other synonims: stock warrant, stock-purchase warrant, guarantee, warrantee, warranty, sanction, countenance, endorsement, indorsement, imprimatur, justify

SERVILITY

(n.) abject or cringing submissiveness. Other synonims: obsequiousness, subservience

invective

(n.) abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will. Other synonims: vituperation, vitriol

Acquiescence

(n.) acceptance without protest; agreement with a statement or proposal to do something. Other synonims: assent

REDRESS

(n.) act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil; a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury; (v.) make reparations or amends for. Other synonims: remedy, remediation, damages, amends, indemnity, indemnification, restitution, right, compensate, correct

DUPLICITY

(n.) acting in bad faith; deception by pretending to entertain one set of intentions while acting under the influence of another; a fraudulent or duplicitous representation. Other synonims: double-dealing, fraudulence

righteousness

(n.) adhering to moral principles

Assent

(n.) agreement with a statement or proposal to do something; (v.) to agree or express agreement. Other synonims: acquiescence, accede, acquiesce

POSTERITY

(n.) all future generations; all of the offspring of a given progenitor. Other synonims: descendants

reverie

(n.) an abstracted state of absorption; absentminded dreaming while awake. Other synonims: revery, daydream, daydreaming, oneirism, air castle, castle in the air, castle in Spain

calumny

(n.) an abusive attack on a person's character or good name; a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions. Other synonims: aspersion, slander, defamation, denigration, calumniation, obloquy, traducement, hatchet job

Screed

(n.) an accurately levelled strip of material placed on a wall or floor as guide for the even application of plaster or concrete; a long piece of writing; a long monotonous harangue

implication

(n.) an accusation that brings into intimate and usually incriminating connection; a relation implicated by virtue of involvement or close connection (especially an incriminating involvement); a logical relation between propositions p and q of the form `if p then q'; if p is true then q cannot be false; something that is inferred (deduced or entailed or implied); a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred. Other synonims: logical implication, conditional relation, deduction, entailment, significance, import

CONURBATION

(n.) an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities. Other synonims: urban sprawl, sprawl

gibe

(n.) an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect; (v.) laugh at with contempt and derision; be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics. Other synonims: shot, shaft, slam, dig, barb, jibe, jeer, scoff, flout, barrack, match, fit, correspond, check, tally, agree

SCIOLIST

(n.) an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge. Other synonims: dabbler, dilettante

guess

(n.) an estimate based on little or no information; a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence; (v.) guess correctly; solve by guessing; put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; expect, believe, or suppose; judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time). Other synonims: guesswork, guessing, shot, dead reckoning, conjecture, supposition, surmise, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis, infer, venture, pretend, hazard, think, opine, suppose, imagine, reckon, estimate, gauge, approximate, judge

quibble

(n.) an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections; (v.) argue over petty things; evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections. Other synonims: quiddity, cavil, niggle, pettifog, bicker, squabble, brabble

CAVIL

(n.) an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections; (v.) raise trivial objections. Other synonims: carp, chicane, quibble, quiddity

cataclysm

(n.) an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; a sudden violent change in the earth's surface. Other synonims: calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy

inception

(n.) an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events. Other synonims: origin, origination

mastic

(n.) an evergreen shrub of the Mediterranean region that is cultivated for its resin; a pasty cement used as an adhesive or filler; an aromatic exudate from the mastic tree; used chiefly in varnishes. Other synonims: mastic tree, lentisk, Pistacia lentiscus

NARCISSISM

(n.) an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself. Other synonims: self-love, narcism

Antiquary

(n.) an expert or collector of antiquities. Other synonims: antiquarian, archaist

exegesis

(n.) an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible)

DISAPPROBATION

(n.) an expression of strong disapproval; pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable. Other synonims: condemnation

paragon

(n.) an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept; model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal. Other synonims: idol, perfection, beau ideal, ideal, nonpareil, saint, apotheosis, nonesuch, nonsuch

LEGERDEMAIN

(n.) an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers. Other synonims: magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic, conjuration, thaumaturgy, illusion, deception

thaumaturgy

(n.) an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers; any art that invokes supernatural powers. Other synonims: magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic, legerdemain, conjuration, illusion, deception

UTOPIA

(n.) an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal; a work of fiction describing a utopia; a book written by Sir Thomas More (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island; ideally perfect state; especially in its social and political and moral aspects. Other synonims: Zion, Sion

prodigy

(n.) an impressive or wonderful example of a particular quality; an unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration; a sign of something about to happen. Other synonims: omen, portent, presage, prognostic, prognostication

harbinger

(n.) an indication of the approach of something or someone; (v.) foreshadow or presage. Other synonims: forerunner, herald, precursor, announce, annunciate, foretell

VESTIGE

(n.) an indication that something has been present. Other synonims: trace, tincture, shadow

INNUENDO

(n.) an indirect (and usually malicious) implication. Other synonims: insinuation

Circumlocution

(n.) an indirect way of expressing something; a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things. Other synonims: indirect expression, periphrasis, ambage

hat

(n.) an informal term for a person's role; headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim; (v.) put on or wear a hat; furnish with a hat. Other synonims: chapeau, lid

PAUCITY

(n.) an insufficient quantity or number. Other synonims: dearth

dearth

(n.) an insufficient quantity or number; an acute insufficiency. Other synonims: paucity, famine, shortage

MANIA

(n.) an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action; a mood disorder; an affective disorder in which the victim tends to respond excessively and sometimes violently. Other synonims: passion, cacoethes, manic disorder

XENOPHOBIA

(n.) an irrational fear of foreigners or strangers

atoll

(n.) an island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon

Martinique

(n.) an island in the eastern Caribbean in the Windward Islands; administered as an overseas region of France

SINECURE

(n.) an office that involves minimal duties; a benefice to which no spiritual or pastoral duties are attached

onus

(n.) an onerous or difficult concern. Other synonims: burden, load, encumbrance, incumbrance

aberration

(n.) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm. Other synonims: distortion, optical aberration, aberrance, aberrancy, deviance

DEMAGOGUE

(n.) an orator who appeals to the passions and prejudices of his audience. Other synonims: demagog, rabble-rouser

archetype

(n.) an original model on which something is patterned. Other synonims: original, pilot

diadem

(n.) an ornamental jewelled headdress signifying sovereignty. Other synonims: crown

lurch

(n.) an unsteady uneven gait; the act of moving forward suddenly; abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance); a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage); (v.) defeat by a lurch; move abruptly; move slowly and unsteadily; walk as if unable to control one's movements; loiter about, with no apparent aim. Other synonims: stumble, stagger, lunge, pitch, pitching, skunk, shift, reel, keel, swag, careen, prowl

NONAGE

(n.) any age prior to the legal age. Other synonims: minority

NETTLE

(n.) any of numerous plants having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact (especially of the genus Urtica or family Urticaceae); (v.) sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation; cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations. Other synonims: urticate, annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, gravel, vex, chafe, devil

DEITY

(n.) any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force. Other synonims: divinity, god, immortal

CREED

(n.) any system of principles or beliefs; the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group. Other synonims: credo, religious doctrine, church doctrine, gospel

SLOTH

(n.) apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue (personified as one of the deadly sins); any of several slow-moving arboreal mammals of South America and Central America; they hang from branches back downward and feed on leaves and fruits; a disinclination to work or exert yourself. Other synonims: laziness, acedia, tree sloth, slothfulness

Apogee

(n.) apoapsis in Earth orbit; the point in its orbit where a satellite is at the greatest distance from the Earth; a final climactic stage. Other synonims: culmination

succor

(n.) assistance in time of difficulty; (v.) help in a difficult situation. Other synonims: succour, relief, ministration

effrontery

(n.) audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to. Other synonims: presumption, presumptuousness, assumption

dichotomy

(n.) being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses. Other synonims: duality

perfidy

(n.) betrayal of a trust; an act of deliberate betrayal. Other synonims: perfidiousness, treachery, betrayal, treason

EFFICACY

(n.) capacity or power to produce a desired effect. Other synonims: efficaciousness

rubric

(n.) category name; a title or heading that is printed in red or in a special type; an authoritative rule of conduct or procedure; directions for the conduct of Christian church services (often printed in red in a prayer book); a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with; an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text; (v.) adorn with ruby red color. Other synonims: title, statute title, gloss

decline

(n.) change toward something smaller or lower; a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state; a downward slope or bend; a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current; (v.) grow smaller; inflect for number, gender, case, etc., "in many languages, speakers decline nouns, pronouns, and adjectives"; go down in value; go down; grow worse; show unwillingness towards; refuse to accept. Other synonims: diminution, declination, go down, wane, slump, correct, descent, declivity, fall, declension, downslope, decay, worsen, refuse, reject, pass up, turn down

degradation

(n.) changing to a lower state (a less respected state); a low or downcast state. Other synonims: debasement, abasement, abjection

closeness

(n.) characterized by a lack of openness (especially about one's actions or purposes); a feeling of being intimate and belonging together; close or warm friendship; extreme stinginess; the spatial property resulting from a relatively small distance; the quality of being close and poorly ventilated. Other synonims: secretiveness, intimacy, familiarity, meanness, minginess, niggardliness, niggardness, parsimony, parsimoniousness, tightness, tightfistedness, nearness, stuffiness

Archives

(n.) collection of records especially about an institution

harmony

(n.) compatibility in opinion and action; an agreeable sound property; the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords; agreement of opinions; a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole. Other synonims: harmoniousness, musical harmony, concord, concordance

EMOLUMENT

(n.) compensation received by virtue of holding an office or having employment (usually in the form of wages or fees)

PROBITY

(n.) complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

RETROSPECT

(n.) contemplation of things past; (v.) look back upon (a period of time, sequence of events); remember. Other synonims: review, look back

REPLETION

(n.) eating until excessively full; the state of being satisfactorily full and unable to take on more. Other synonims: surfeit, satiety, satiation

GENTILITY

(n.) elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression. Other synonims: breeding, genteelness

ELAN

(n.) enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness; distinctive and stylish elegance; a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause). Other synonims: dash, flair, panache, style, ardor, ardour, zeal

EQUIPOISE

(n.) equality of distribution. Other synonims: balance, equilibrium, counterbalance

HYPERBOLE

(n.) extravagant exaggeration. Other synonims: exaggeration

parsimony

(n.) extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily; extreme stinginess. Other synonims: parsimoniousness, thrift, penny-pinching, meanness, minginess, niggardliness, niggardness, tightness, tightfistedness, closeness

parity

(n.) functional equality; (physics) parity is conserved in a universe in which the laws of physics are the same in a right-handed system of coordinates as in a left-handed system; (mathematics) a relation between a pair of integers: if both integers are odd or both are even they have the same parity; if one is odd and the other is even they have different parity; (obstetrics) the number of liveborn children a woman has delivered; (computer science) a bit that is used in an error detection procedure in which a 0 or 1 is added to each group of bits so that it will have either an odd number of 1's or an even number of 1's; e.g., if the parity is odd then any group of bits that arrives with an even number of 1's must contain an error. Other synonims: conservation of parity, space-reflection symmetry, mirror symmetry, para, parity bit, check bit

RECONCILIATION

(n.) getting two things to correspond; the reestablishing of cordial relations. Other synonims: balancing, rapprochement

EMBODIMENT

(n.) giving concrete form to an abstract concept; a new personification of a familiar idea; a concrete representation of an otherwise nebulous concept. Other synonims: incarnation, avatar, shape

LONGANIMITY

(n.) good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. Other synonims: patience, forbearance

plunder

(n.) goods or money obtained illegally; (v.) steal goods; take as spoils; destroy and strip of its possession; plunder (a town) after capture; take illegally; of intellectual property. Other synonims: despoil, loot, reave, strip, rifle, ransack, pillage, foray, booty, prize, swag, dirty money, rape, spoil, violate, sack

Aplomb

(n.) great coolness and composure under strain. Other synonims: assuredness, cool, poise, sang-froid

COMPLICITY

(n.) guilt as an accomplice in a crime or offense

habitude

(n.) habitual mode of behavior

censure

(n.) harsh criticism or disapproval; the state of being excommunicated; (v.) rebuke formally. Other synonims: animadversion, excommunication, exclusion, reprimand, criminate

LARCENOUS

(n.) having a disposition to steal. Other synonims: thievishness

BELLIGERENCE

(n.) hostile or warlike attitude or nature; a natural disposition to be hostile. Other synonims: belligerency, aggressiveness, pugnacity

PANACEA

(n.) hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists; (Greek mythology) the goddess of healing; daughter of Aesculapius and sister of Hygeia. Other synonims: nostrum, catholicon, cure-all

Autonomy

(n.) immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence; personal independence. Other synonims: liberty, self-direction, self-reliance, self-sufficiency

LAITY

(n.) in Christianity, members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy. Other synonims: temporalty

Assimilation

(n.) in the theories of Jean Piaget: the application of a general schema to a particular instance; a linguistic process by which a sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound; the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion; the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another; the state of being assimilated; people of different backgrounds come to see themselves as part of a larger national family; the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure. Other synonims: absorption, acculturation

Aphasia

(n.) inability to use or understand language (spoken or written) because of a brain lesion

pabulum

(n.) insipid intellectual nourishment; any substance that can be used as food. Other synonims: comestible, edible, eatable, victual, victuals

implement

(n.) instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end; (v.) apply in a manner consistent with its purpose or design; pursue to a conclusion or bring to a successful issue; ensure observance of laws and rules. Other synonims: follow through, follow up, follow out, carry out, put through, go through, enforce, apply

PROFUNDITY

(n.) intellectual depth; penetrating knowledge; keen insight; etc; the quality of being physically deep; the intellectual ability to penetrate deeply into ideas; wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound. Other synonims: profoundness, deepness, astuteness, depth, reconditeness, abstruseness, abstrusity

precociousness

(n.) intelligence achieved far ahead of normal developmental schedules. Other synonims: precocity

LUCUBRATION

(n.) laborious cogitation; a solemn literary work that is the product of laborious cogitation

Trope

(n.) language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense. Other synonims: figure of speech, figure, image

clemency

(n.) leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice; good weather with comfortable temperatures. Other synonims: mercifulness, mercy, mildness

MUNIFICENCE

(n.) liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit. Other synonims: largess, largesse, magnanimity, openhandedness

magnanimity

(n.) liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit. Other synonims: munificence, largess, largesse, openhandedness

tripe

(n.) lining of the stomach of a ruminant (especially a bovine) used as food; nonsensical talk or writing. Other synonims: folderol, rubbish, trumpery, trash, wish-wash, applesauce, codswallop

Alacrity

(n.) liveliness and eagerness. Other synonims: briskness, smartness

NOSTALGIA

(n.) longing for something past

detritus

(n.) loose material (stone fragments and silt etc) that is worn away from rocks; the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up. Other synonims: debris, dust, junk, rubble

DISCERNMENT

(n.) perception of that which is obscure; the trait of judging wisely and objectively; the mental ability to understand and discriminate between relations; delicate discrimination (especially of aesthetic values); the cognitive condition of someone who understands. Other synonims: perceptiveness, discretion, sagacity, sagaciousness, judgment, judgement, taste, appreciation, understanding, apprehension, savvy

TENACITY

(n.) persistent determination. Other synonims: doggedness, perseverance, persistence, persistency, tenaciousness, pertinacity

PULCHRITUDE

(n.) physical beauty (especially of a woman)

felicity

(n.) pleasing and appropriate manner or style (especially manner or style of expression); state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other synonims: felicitousness, happiness

blah

(n.) pompous or pretentious talk or writing. Other synonims: bombast, fustian, rant, claptrap

PUISSANCE

(n.) power to influence or coerce

erudition

(n.) profound scholarly knowledge. Other synonims: eruditeness, learnedness, learning, scholarship, encyclopedism, encyclopaedism

effects

(n.) property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business. Other synonims: personal effects

DECORUM

(n.) propriety in manners and conduct. Other synonims: decorousness

frugality

(n.) prudence in avoiding waste. Other synonims: frugalness

CHRYSALIS

(n.) pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

QUIESCENCE

(n.) quiet and inactive restfulness; a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction. Other synonims: quiescency, dormancy, sleeping

FUSILLADE

(n.) rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms; (v.) attack with fusillade. Other synonims: salvo, volley, burst

CONJECTURE

(n.) reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence; a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence); a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence; (v.) to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds. Other synonims: speculation, guess, supposition, surmise, surmisal, hypothesis, speculate, theorize, theorise, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, suppose

OBJURGATION

(n.) rebuking a person harshly. Other synonims: chiding, scolding, tongue-lashing

PENITENCE

(n.) remorse for your past conduct. Other synonims: repentance, penance

Abnegation

(n.) renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others; the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief. Other synonims: self-abnegation, denial, self-denial, self-renunciation

REDUNDANCY

(n.) repetition of an act needlessly; the attribute of being superfluous and unneeded; (electronics) a system design that duplicates components to provide alternatives in case one component fails; repetition of messages to reduce the probability of errors in transmission. Other synonims: redundance

PARAPHRASE

(n.) rewording for the purpose of clarification; (v.) express the same message in different words. Other synonims: paraphrasis, rephrase, reword

rectitude

(n.) righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest. Other synonims: uprightness

COLLUSION

(n.) secret agreement; agreement on a secret plot. Other synonims: connivance

Adulation

(n.) servile flattery; exaggerated and hypocritical praise

STRICTURE

(n.) severe criticism; abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway. Other synonims: stenosis

kiosk

(n.) small area set off by walls for special use. Other synonims: booth, cubicle, stall

hovel

(n.) small crude shelter used as a dwelling. Other synonims: hut, hutch, shack, shanty

THRALL

(n.) someone held in bondage; the state of being under the control of another person. Other synonims: bondage, slavery, thralldom, thraldom

TYRO

(n.) someone new to a field or activity. Other synonims: novice, beginner, tiro, initiate

DEIPNOSOPHIST

(n.) someone skilled at informal chit chat

henchman

(n.) someone who assists in a plot. Other synonims: confederate, collaborator, partner in crime

ICONOCLAST

(n.) someone who attacks cherished ideas or traditional institutions; a destroyer of images used in religious worship. Other synonims: image breaker

Assailant

(n.) someone who attacks. Other synonims: attacker, aggressor, assaulter

MARTINET

(n.) someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms. Other synonims: disciplinarian, moralist

MISANTHROPE

(n.) someone who dislikes people in general. Other synonims: misanthropist

pedagogue

(n.) someone who educates young people. Other synonims: educator, pedagog

MATRICULATE

(n.) someone who has been admitted to a college or university; (v.) enroll as a student

interloper

(n.) someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission. Other synonims: intruder, trespasser

CYNIC

(n.) someone who is critical of the motives of others; a member of a group of ancient Greek philosophers who advocated the doctrine that virtue is the only good and that the essence of virtue is self-control. Other synonims: faultfinder

COMPLEMENT

(n.) something added to complete or make perfect; either of two parts that mutually complete each other; a word or phrase used to complete a grammatical construction; number needed to make up a whole force; a complete number or quantity; one of a series of enzymes in the blood serum that are part of the immune response; (v.) make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to. Other synonims: full complement

Bane

(n.) something causes misery or death. Other synonims: curse, scourge, nemesis

REPARATION

(n.) something done or paid in expiation of a wrong; (usually plural) compensation exacted from a defeated nation by the victors; compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury; the act of putting something in working order again. Other synonims: amends, repair, fix, fixing, fixture, mend, mending

SUBTERFUGE

(n.) something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity. Other synonims: blind

PRETEXT

(n.) something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason; an artful or simulated semblance. Other synonims: stalking-horse, guise, pretense, pretence

ENIGMA

(n.) something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained; a difficult problem. Other synonims: mystery, secret, closed book, riddle, conundrum, brain-teaser. TIC (a.) resembling an oracle in obscurity of thought; not clear to the understanding. Other synonims: oracular, enigmatical, puzzling

CYNOSURE

(n.) something that strongly attracts attention and admiration; something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners)

EXEMPLAR

(n.) something to be imitated. Other synonims: example, model, good example. (a.) worthy of imitation; serving to warn; being or serving as an illustration of a type. Other synonims: model, admonitory, cautionary, monitory, warning, emblematic, typic

squalor

(n.) sordid dirtiness. Other synonims: sordidness, squalidness

contrition

(n.) sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation. Other synonims: attrition, contriteness

BOMBILATION

(n.) sound of rapid vibration. Other synonims: buzz, bombination

JARGON

(n.) specialized technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject; a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); a colorless (or pale yellow or smoky) variety of zircon. Other synonims: slang, cant, lingo, argot, patois, vernacular, jargoon

DILEMMA

(n.) state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options. Other synonims: quandary

QUANDARY

(n.) state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options; a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one. Other synonims: dilemma, predicament, plight

ALLEGATION

(n.) statements affirming or denying certain matters of fact that you are prepared to prove; (law) a formal accusation against somebody (often in a court of law). Other synonims: allegement

EQUANIMITY

(n.) steadiness of mind under stress. Other synonims: composure, calm, calmness

CHAGRIN

(n.) strong feelings of embarrassment; (v.) cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. Other synonims: humiliation, mortification, humiliate, mortify, humble, abase

SYNECDOCHE

(n.) substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa

METONYMY

(n.) substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in `they counted heads')

GENOCIDE

(n.) systematic killing of a racial or cultural group. Other synonims: race murder, racial extermination

REINCARNATION

(n.) the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings (god or human or animal or hungry ghost or denizen of hell) depending on the person's own actions; a second or new birth; embodiment in a new form (especially the reappearance or a person in another form). Other synonims: rebirth, renascence

TERGIVERSATION

(n.) the act of abandoning a party or cause; falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language. Other synonims: apostasy, equivocation

impetus

(n.) the act of applying force suddenly; a force that moves something along. Other synonims: impulse, impulsion, drift

Apprehension

(n.) the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); painful expectation; fearful expectation or anticipation; the cognitive condition of someone who understands. Other synonims: arrest, catch, collar, pinch, taking into custody, misgiving, apprehensiveness, dread, understanding, discernment, savvy

EXPIATION

(n.) the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing (especially appeasing a deity); compensation for a wrong. Other synonims: atonement, propitiation, satisfaction

presence

(n.) the act of being present; the impression that something is present; the immediate proximity of someone or something; an invisible spiritual being felt to be nearby; the state of being present; current existence; dignified manner or conduct. Other synonims: front, bearing, comportment, mien

malediction

(n.) the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult). Other synonims: imprecation

egress

(n.) the act of coming (or going) out; becoming apparent; (astronomy) the reappearance of a celestial body after an eclipse; the becoming visible; (v.) come out of. Other synonims: egression, emergence, emersion, issue, emerge, come out, come forth, go forth

federation

(n.) the act of constituting a political unity out of a number of separate states or colonies or provinces so that each member retains the management of its internal affairs; an organization formed by merging several groups or parties; a union of political organizations. Other synonims: confederation, confederacy

discharge

(n.) the act of discharging a gun; the act of venting; the sudden giving off of energy; the pouring forth of a fluid; electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field; any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body; a substance that is emitted or released; a formal written statement of relinquishment; the termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart); (v.) eliminate (substances) from the body; release from military service; pour forth or release; remove the charge from; become empty or void of its content; pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; cause to go off; go off or discharge; leave or unload, especially of passengers or cargo; free from obligations or duties; complete or carry out. Other synonims: firing, firing off, venting, outpouring, run, spark, arc, electric arc, electric discharge, emission, expelling, expel, eject, release, muster out, waiver, dismissal, dismission, liberation, sack, sacking, empty, acquit, assoil, clear, exonerate, exculpate, fire, go off, drop, drop off, set down, put down, unload, free, dispatch, complete

FLAUNT

(n.) the act of displaying something ostentatiously; (v.) display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously. Other synonims: flash, show off, ostentate, swank

ouster

(n.) the act of ejecting someone or forcing them out; a wrongful dispossession; a person who ousts or supplants someone else. Other synonims: ousting, ejector

INCURSION

(n.) the act of entering some territory or domain (often in large numbers); the mistake of incurring liability or blame; an attack that penetrates into enemy territory. Other synonims: penetration

jostle

(n.) the act of jostling (forcing your way by pushing); (v.) come into rough contact with while moving; make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving. Other synonims: jostling, shove

VOLITION

(n.) the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention. Other synonims: willing, will

QUALIFICATION

(n.) the act of modifying or changing the strength of some idea; an attribute that must be met or complied with and that fits a person for something; a statement that limits or restricts some claim. Other synonims: making, reservation

OBEISANCE

(n.) the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person; bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame. Other synonims: obedience, bow, bowing

REMUNERATION

(n.) the act of paying for goods or services or to recompense for losses; something that remunerates. Other synonims: wage, pay, earnings, salary

attrition

(n.) the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction. Other synonims: contrition, contriteness, grinding, abrasion, detrition, corrasion

ENDEARMENT

(n.) the act of showing affection

INAUGURATION

(n.) the act of starting a new operation or practice; the ceremonial induction into a position. Other synonims: startup, inaugural

sustenance

(n.) the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence; a source of materials to nourish the body; the financial means whereby one lives. Other synonims: sustentation, sustainment, maintenance, upkeep, nutriment, nourishment, nutrition, aliment, alimentation, victuals, support, keep, livelihood, living, bread and butter

LARCENY

(n.) the act of taking something from someone unlawfully. Other synonims: theft, thievery, thieving, stealing

VEXATION

(n.) the act of troubling or annoying someone; something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; anger produced by some annoying irritation; the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed. Other synonims: annoyance, annoying, irritation, concern, worry, headache, chafe, botheration

Aversion

(n.) the act of turning yourself (or your gaze) away; a feeling of intense dislike. Other synonims: averting, antipathy, distaste

BLANDISHMENT

(n.) the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery; flattery intended to persuade. Other synonims: wheedling, cajolery, palaver

firmament

(n.) the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected. Other synonims: celestial sphere, sphere, empyrean, heavens, vault of heaven, welkin

VERISIMILITUDE

(n.) the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true

ambience

(n.) the atmosphere of an environment; a particular environment or surrounding influence. Other synonims: ambiance, atmosphere

Brevity

(n.) the attribute of being brief or fleeting; the use of brief expressions. Other synonims: briefness, transience

MELIORISM

(n.) the belief that the world can be made better by human effort

STRATEGY

(n.) the branch of military science dealing with military command and the planning and conduct of a war; an elaborate and systematic plan of action. Other synonims: scheme

hermeneutics

(n.) the branch of theology that deals with principles of exegesis

theodicy

(n.) the branch of theology that defends God's goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil

SUPPOSITION

(n.) the cognitive process of supposing; a hypothesis that is taken for granted; a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence. Other synonims: supposal, assumption, guess, conjecture, surmise, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis

numismatics

(n.) the collection and study of money (and coins in particular). Other synonims: numismatology, coin collecting, coin collection

METTLE

(n.) the courage to carry on. Other synonims: heart, nerve, spunk

DIASPORA

(n.) the dispersion or spreading of something that was originally localized (as a people or language or culture); the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel; from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time; the body of Jews (or Jewish communities) outside Palestine or modern Israel

hegemony

(n.) the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others

Apotheosis

(n.) the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god); model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal. Other synonims: deification, exaltation, ideal, paragon, nonpareil, saint, nonesuch, nonsuch

ennui

(n.) the feeling of being bored by something tedious. Other synonims: boredom, tedium

DENOUEMENT

(n.) the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events

GENESIS

(n.) the first book of the Old Testament: tells of creation; Adam and Eve; the Fall of Man; Cain and Abel; Noah and the flood; God's covenant with Abraham; Abraham and Isaac; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers; a coming into being. Other synonims: Book of Genesis, generation

HEGIRA

(n.) the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 which marked the beginning of the Muslim era; the Muslim calendar begins in that year; a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment. Other synonims: Hejira, exodus, hejira

repast

(n.) the food served and eaten at one time. Other synonims: meal

PECULATION

(n.) the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else. Other synonims: embezzlement, defalcation, misapplication, misappropriation

paradigm

(n.) the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time; systematic arrangement of all the inflected forms of a word; a standard or typical example; the class of all items that can be substituted into the same position (or slot) in a grammatical sentence (are in paradigmatic relation with one another). Other synonims: prototype, epitome, image, substitution class

PONTIFICATE

(n.) the government of the Roman Catholic Church; (v.) talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner; administer a pontifical office. Other synonims: papacy

ACME

(n.) the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development; the highest point (of something). Other synonims: height, elevation, peak, pinnacle, summit, superlative, meridian, tiptop, top, vertex, apex

progeny

(n.) the immediate descendants of a person. Other synonims: offspring, issue

SUSURRUS

(n.) the indistinct sound of people whispering. Other synonims: susurration

NACRE

(n.) the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell. Other synonims: mother-of-pearl

FORECLOSURE

(n.) the legal proceedings initiated by a creditor to repossess the collateral for loan that is in default

Avatar

(n.) the manifestation of a Hindu deity (especially Vishnu) in human or superhuman or animal form; a new personification of a familiar idea. Other synonims: embodiment, incarnation

SPAWN

(n.) the mass of eggs deposited by fish or amphibians or molluscs; (v.) lay spawn; call forth. Other synonims: engender, breed

CREDENCE

(n.) the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true; a kind of sideboard or buffet. Other synonims: acceptance, credenza

Aristocracy

(n.) the most powerful members of a society; a privileged class holding hereditary titles. Other synonims: gentry, nobility

antipathy

(n.) the object of a feeling of intense aversion; something to be avoided; a feeling of intense dislike. Other synonims: aversion, distaste

HIERARCHY

(n.) the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body; a series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system. Other synonims: power structure, pecking order

equity

(n.) the ownership interest of shareholders in a corporation; the difference between the market value of a property and the claims held against it; conformity with rules or standards. Other synonims: fairness

RENAISSANCE

(n.) the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries; the revival of learning and culture. Other synonims: Renascence, rebirth

CULL

(n.) the person or thing that is rejected or set aside as inferior in quality; (v.) remove something that has been rejected; look for and gather. Other synonims: reject, pick, pluck

ETIOLOGY

(n.) the philosophical study of causation; the cause of a disease. Other synonims: aetiology

NADIR

(n.) the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected; an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything. Other synonims: low-water mark

VANGUARD

(n.) the position of greatest importance or advancement; the leading position in any movement or field; the leading units moving at the head of an army; any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts). Other synonims: forefront, cutting edge, van, avant-garde, new wave

stead

(n.) the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another. Other synonims: position, place, lieu

MOMENTUM

(n.) the product of a body's mass and its velocity; an impelling force or strength. Other synonims: impulse

propinquity

(n.) the property of being close together. Other synonims: proximity

deluge

(n.) the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land; a heavy rain; an overwhelming number or amount; (v.) fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a liquid; fill or cover completely, usually with water; charge someone with too many tasks. Other synonims: flood, inundate, swamp, inundation, alluvion, downpour, cloudburst, waterspout, torrent, pelter, soaker, submerge, overwhelm, flood out

vigil

(n.) the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival); a period of sleeplessness; a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe. Other synonims: watch

Ablution

(n.) the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels

TINTINNABULATION

(n.) the sound of a bell ringing. Other synonims: ring, ringing

muse

(n.) the source of an artist's inspiration; in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science; (v.) reflect deeply on a subject. Other synonims: chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate

nearness

(n.) the spatial property resulting from a relatively small distance. Other synonims: closeness

PROPAGATION

(n.) the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions; the movement of a wave through a medium; the act of producing offspring or multiplying by such production. Other synonims: extension, generation, multiplication

DISHABILLE

(n.) the state of being carelessly or partially dressed. Other synonims: deshabille

COALITION

(n.) the state of being combined into one body; the union of diverse things into one body or form or group; the growing together of parts; an organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty. Other synonims: fusion, coalescence, coalescency, concretion, conglutination, alliance, alignment, alinement

NOTORIETY

(n.) the state of being known for some unfavorable act or quality. Other synonims: ill fame

SURFEIT

(n.) the state of being more than full; eating until excessively full; the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall; (v.) indulge (one's appetite) to satiety; supply or feed to surfeit. Other synonims: excess, overabundance, cloy, repletion, glut, oversupply

OMNISCIENCE

(n.) the state of being omniscient; having infinite knowledge

DUBIETY

(n.) the state of being unsure of something. Other synonims: doubt, uncertainty, incertitude, doubtfulness, dubiousness

DEBILITY

(n.) the state of being weak in health or body (especially from old age). Other synonims: infirmity, frailty, feebleness, frailness, valetudinarianism

Ascendancy

(n.) the state that exists when one person or group has power over another. Other synonims: dominance, ascendance, ascendence, ascendency, control

diminution

(n.) the statement of a theme in notes of lesser duration (usually half the length of the original); the act of decreasing or reducing something; change toward something smaller or lower. Other synonims: decrease, reduction, step-down, decline

EUGENICS

(n.) the study of methods of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding (especially as applied to human mating)

demise

(n.) the time when something ends. Other synonims: death, dying

oeuvre

(n.) the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it). Other synonims: work, body of work

Apathy

(n.) the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally; an absence of emotion or enthusiasm. Other synonims: indifference, numbness, spiritlessness

chicanery

(n.) the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them). Other synonims: trickery, chicane, guile, wile, shenanigan

guile

(n.) the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them); the quality of being crafty; shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception. Other synonims: trickery, chicanery, chicane, wile, shenanigan, craftiness, deceitfulness, craft, cunning, foxiness, slyness, wiliness

vista

(n.) the visual percept of a region. Other synonims: view, aspect, prospect, scene, panorama

FOIBLE

(n.) the weaker part of a sword's blade from the forte to the tip; a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual. Other synonims: idiosyncrasy, mannerism

HELIOLATRY

(n.) the worship of the sun. Other synonims: sun-worship

INANITY

(n.) total lack of meaning or ideas. Other synonims: senselessness, mindlessness, vacuity, pointlessness

CONCORD

(n.) town in eastern Massachusetts near Boston where the first battle of the American Revolution was fought; capital of the state of New Hampshire; located in south central New Hampshire on the Merrimack river; the first battle of the American Revolution (April 19, 1775); agreement of opinions; the determination of grammatical inflection on the basis of word relations; a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole; (v.) arrange the words of a text so as to create a concordance; arrange by concord or agreement; be in accord; be in agreement; go together. Other synonims: capital of New Hampshire, Lexington, Lexington and Concord, harmony, concordance, agreement, agree, hold, concur, harmonize, harmonise, consort, accord, fit in

PEREGRINATION

(n.) traveling or wandering around

tumescence

(n.) tumidity resulting from the presence of blood or other fluid in the tissues

AMBIGUITY

(n.) unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning; an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context. Other synonims: equivocalness

prevaricate

(v.) be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information. Other synonims: beat around the bush, equivocate, tergiversate, palter

DELUDE

(v.) be false to; be dishonest with. Other synonims: deceive, lead on, cozen

Abhor

(v.) To regard with repugnance : detest extremely : LOATHE *they abhor the thought of going to war* 2 : to turn aside or keep away from especially in scorn : AVOID, REJECT *the university should abhor mediocrity— Walter Moberly* synonyms see HATE. Other synonims: loathe, abominate, execrate

EXPATIATE

(v.) add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing. Other synonims: elaborate, lucubrate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate

ADDUCE

(v.) advance evidence for. Other synonims: abduce, cite

TRANSMUTE

(v.) alter the nature of (elements); change in outward structure or looks; change or alter in form, appearance, or nature. Other synonims: transform, metamorphose, transubstantiate

RECIPROCATE

(v.) alternate the direction of motion of; act, feel, or give mutually or in return

RESCIND

(v.) annul by recalling or rescinding. Other synonims: revoke, annul, lift, countermand, reverse, repeal, overturn, vacate

PECULATE

(v.) appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use. Other synonims: embezzle, defalcate, misappropriate, malversate

REMONSTRATE

(v.) argue in protest or opposition; present and urge reasons in opposition; censure severely or angrily. Other synonims: point out, call on the carpet, take to task, rebuke, rag, trounce, reproof, lecture, reprimand, jaw, dress down, call down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, chew out, chew up, have words, lambaste, lambast

niggle

(v.) argue over petty things; worry unnecessarily or excessively. Other synonims: quibble, pettifog, bicker, squabble, brabble, fuss, fret

SUPPLICATE

(v.) ask humbly (for something); ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer; make a humble, earnest petition

LIONIZE

(v.) assign great social importance to. Other synonims: lionise, celebrate

Abet

(v.) assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

Assail

(v.) attack someone physically or emotionally; attack in speech or writing; launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with. Other synonims: assault, set on, attack, round, lash out, snipe

BEGUILE

(v.) attract; cause to be enamored; influence by slyness. Other synonims: capture, enamour, trance, catch, becharm, enamor, captivate, charm, fascinate, bewitch, entrance, enchant, juggle, hoodwink

Ascribe

(v.) attribute or credit to. Other synonims: impute, assign, attribute

IMPUTE

(v.) attribute or credit to; attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source. Other synonims: ascribe, assign, attribute

ATTEST

(v.) authenticate, affirm to be true, genuine, or correct, as in an official capacity; establish or verify the usage of; provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes; give testimony in a court of law. Other synonims: certify, manifest, demonstrate, evidence, testify, take the stand, bear witness

eschew

(v.) avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of. Other synonims: shun

MALINGER

(v.) avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill. Other synonims: skulk

OSTRACIZE

(v.) avoid speaking to or dealing with; expel from a community or group. Other synonims: ostracise, banish, ban, shun, cast out, blackball

foment

(v.) bathe with warm water or medicated lotions; try to stir up public opinion. Other synonims: agitate, stir up

inaugurate

(v.) be a precursor of; commence officially; open ceremoniously or dedicate formally. Other synonims: usher in, introduce, kick off

succumb

(v.) be fatally overwhelmed; consent reluctantly. Other synonims: yield, give in, knuckle under, buckle under

EVOKE

(v.) call to mind; summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic; deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning); evoke or provoke to appear or occur; call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses). Other synonims: suggest, paint a picture, raise, conjure, conjure up, invoke, stir, call down, arouse, bring up, put forward, call forth, educe, elicit, extract, draw out, provoke, kick up, enkindle, kindle, fire

renounce

(v.) cast off or disown; turn away from; give up; leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily; give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations. Other synonims: repudiate, foreswear, quit, relinquish, vacate, resign, give up, abdicate

bewilder

(v.) cause to be confused emotionally; be a mystery or bewildering to. Other synonims: bemuse, discombobulate, throw, perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound

PERPETUATE

(v.) cause to continue or prevail

abase

(v.) cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of. Other synonims: humiliate, mortify, chagrin, humble. Ex: I abased myself in such a way that it makes me cringe to even remember it.

proliferate

(v.) cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly

daunt

(v.) cause to lose courage. Other synonims: dash, scare off, pall, frighten off, scare away, frighten away, scare

disconcert

(v.) cause to lose one's composure; cause to feel embarrassment. Other synonims: upset, discompose, untune, discomfit, confuse, flurry, put off

SUPPURATE

(v.) cause to ripen and discharge pus; ripen and generate pus. Other synonims: mature, fester, maturate

derogate

(v.) cause to seem less serious; play down. Other synonims: minimize, belittle, denigrate

suffuse

(v.) cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across; to become overspread as with a fluid, a colour, a gleam of light. Other synonims: perfuse

STAGNATE

(v.) cease to flow; stand without moving; cause to stagnate; stand still; be idle; exist in a changeless situation. Other synonims: idle, laze, slug

CHASTISE

(v.) censure severely. Other synonims: castigate, objurgate, chasten, correct

OBJURGATE

(v.) censure severely; express strong disapproval of. Other synonims: chastise, castigate, chasten, correct, condemn, reprobate, decry, excoriate

METAMORPHOSE

(v.) change completely the nature or appearance of; change in outward structure or looks. Other synonims: transfigure, transmogrify, transform, transmute

defame

(v.) charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone. Other synonims: slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch

ruminate

(v.) chew the cuds; reflect deeply on a subject. Other synonims: chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, speculate

EXEMPLIFY

(v.) clarify by giving an example of; be characteristic of. Other synonims: illustrate, instance, represent

VINDICATE

(v.) clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof; maintain, uphold, or defend; show to be right by providing justification or proof. Other synonims: justify

IMMIGRATE

(v.) come into a new country and change residency; introduce or send as immigrants; migrate to a new environment

RECONCILE

(v.) come to terms; bring into consonance or accord; make compatible with; accept as inevitable. Other synonims: patch up, make up, conciliate, settle, harmonize, harmonise, accommodate, resign, submit

PROSCRIBE

(v.) command against. Other synonims: forbid, prohibit, interdict, veto, disallow

cogitate

(v.) consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon; turn over in one's mind; use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments. Other synonims: think, cerebrate

PROSELYTIZE

(v.) convert to another faith or religion. Other synonims: proselytise

EXECRATE

(v.) curse or declare to be evil or anathema or threaten with divine punishment; find repugnant. Other synonims: accurse, anathemize, comminate, anathemise, anathematize, anathematise, abhor, loathe, abominate

contravene

(v.) deny the truth of; go against, as of rules and laws. Other synonims: contradict, negate, conflict, run afoul, infringe

subvert

(v.) destroy completely; cause the downfall of; of rulers; destroy property or hinder normal operations; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. Other synonims: overthrow, overturn, bring down, sabotage, undermine, countermine, counteract, weaken, corrupt, pervert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, vitiate, deprave, misdirect

discern

(v.) detect with the senses. Other synonims: recognize, recognise, distinguish, pick out, make out, tell apart

EXHUME

(v.) dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies. Other synonims: disinter

disclose

(v.) disclose to view as by removing a cover; make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret. Other synonims: expose, unwrap, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, divulge, impart, break, give away, let out

ALLOCATE

(v.) distribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose. Other synonims: apportion

OBVIATE

(v.) do away with; prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening. Other synonims: rid of, eliminate, debar, deflect, avert, head off, stave off, fend off, avoid, ward off

debase

(v.) lower in value by increasing the base-metal content; corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. Other synonims: alloy, adulterate, stretch, dilute, corrupt, pervert, subvert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, profane, vitiate, deprave, misdirect

degrade

(v.) lower the grade of something; reduce its worth; reduce the level of land, as by erosion; reduce in worth or character, usually verbally. Other synonims: cheapen, take down, disgrace, demean, put down

CREPITATE

(v.) make a crackling sound. Other synonims: crackle

complain

(v.) make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge; express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness. Other synonims: kick, plain, sound off, quetch, kvetch

ALLUDE

(v.) make a more or less disguised reference to. Other synonims: touch, advert

FOREBODE

(v.) make a prediction about; tell in advance. Other synonims: predict, foretell, prognosticate, call, anticipate, promise

solicit

(v.) make a solicitation or petition for something desired; incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination; make a solicitation or entreaty for something; request urgently or persistently; approach with an offer of sexual favors; make amorous advances towards. Other synonims: beg, tap, hook, accost, woo, court, romance

expiate

(v.) make amends for. Other synonims: aby, abye, atone

ENDEAR

(v.) make attractive or lovable

BEGET

(v.) make children. Other synonims: get, engender, father, mother, sire, generate, bring forth

reveal

(v.) make clear and visible; disclose directly or through prophets; make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; make visible. Other synonims: display, show, unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, discover, expose, divulge, impart, break, give away, let out, uncover, unveil

elucidate

(v.) make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear; make clear and (more) comprehensible. Other synonims: clear, clear up, shed light on, crystallize, crystallise, crystalize, crystalise, straighten out, sort out, enlighten, illuminate, clarify

PRECLUDE

(v.) make impossible, especially beforehand; keep from happening or arising; make impossible. Other synonims: rule out, close out, prevent, forestall, foreclose, forbid

EFFACE

(v.) make inconspicuous; remove completely from recognition or memory; remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing. Other synonims: obliterate, erase, rub out, score out, wipe off

integrate

(v.) make into a whole or make part of a whole; become one; become integrated; calculate the integral of; calculate by integration; open (a place) to members of all races and ethnic groups. Other synonims: incorporate, desegregate, mix

divulge

(v.) make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret. Other synonims: unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, impart, break, give away, let out

MOLLIFY

(v.) make less rigid or softer; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate; cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of. Other synonims: temper, season, pacify, lenify, conciliate, assuage, appease, placate, gentle, gruntle

mitigate

(v.) make less severe or harsh; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of. Other synonims: extenuate, palliate

decorate

(v.) make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; award a mark of honor, such as a medal, to; provide with decoration; be beautiful to look at. Other synonims: adorn, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify, dress, deck

Adorn

(v.) make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; furnish with power or authority; of kings or emperors; be beautiful to look at. Other synonims: decorate, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify, invest, clothe, deck

EMBELLISH

(v.) make more beautiful; add details to; make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; be beautiful to look at. Other synonims: fancify, beautify, prettify, embroider, pad, lard, aggrandize, aggrandise, blow up, dramatize, dramatise, decorate, adorn, grace, ornament, deck

QUALIFY

(v.) make more specific; make fit or prepared; describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of; pronounce fit or able; prove capable or fit; meet requirements; add a modifier to a constituent; specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement. Other synonims: restrict, dispose, characterize, characterise, measure up, modify, stipulate, condition, specify

obfuscate

(v.) make obscure or unclear

remunerate

(v.) make payment to; compensate. Other synonims: compensate, recompense

PROPITIATE

(v.) make peace with. Other synonims: appease

Appease

(v.) make peace with; overcome or allay; cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of. Other synonims: propitiate, quell, stay, pacify, lenify, conciliate, assuage, mollify, placate, gentle, gruntle

IMPOVERISH

(v.) make poor; take away. Other synonims: deprive

CONSTRUE

(v.) make sense of; assign a meaning to. Other synonims: interpret, see

SUBJUGATE

(v.) make subservient; force to submit or subdue; put down by force or intimidation. Other synonims: subject, repress, quash, keep down, subdue, reduce

EDIFY

(v.) make understand. Other synonims: enlighten

debilitate

(v.) make weak. Other synonims: enfeeble, drain

PROPAGATE

(v.) multiply sexually or asexually; cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering; transmit or cause to broaden or spread; transmit; travel through the air; transmit from one generation to the next; cause to become widely known; become distributed or widespread. Other synonims: circulate, circularize, circularise, distribute, disseminate, broadcast, spread, diffuse, disperse, pass around

transgress

(v.) pass beyond (limits or boundaries); act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; spread over land, especially along a subsiding shoreline; commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law. Other synonims: trespass, overstep, offend, infract, violate, go against, breach, break, sin

perpetrate

(v.) perform an act, usually with a negative connotation. Other synonims: commit, pull

EXTEMPORIZE

(v.) perform without preparation; manage in a makeshift way; do with whatever is at hand. Other synonims: improvise, improvize, ad-lib, extemporise

curtail

(v.) place restrictions on; terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent. Other synonims: restrict, curb, cut back, clip, cut short

JUXTAPOSE

(v.) place side by side

argue

(v.) present reasons and arguments; give evidence of; have an argument about something. Other synonims: reason, indicate, contend, debate, fence

refute

(v.) prove to be false or incorrect; overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof. Other synonims: rebut, controvert

PALLIATE

(v.) provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of. Other synonims: relieve, alleviate, assuage, extenuate, mitigate

Alleviate

(v.) provide physical relief, as from pain; make easier. Other synonims: relieve, palliate, assuage, facilitate, ease

assuage

(v.) provide physical relief, as from pain; satisfy (thirst); cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of. Other synonims: relieve, alleviate, palliate, quench, slake, allay, pacify, lenify, conciliate, appease, mollify, placate, gentle, gruntle

SCARIFY

(v.) puncture and scar (the skin), as for purposes or tribal identification or rituals; break up; scratch the surface of

PROMULGATE

(v.) put a law into effect by formal declaration; state or announce. Other synonims: proclaim, exclaim

imbibe

(v.) receive into the mind and retain; take in liquids; take in, also metaphorically; take (gas, light or heat) into a solution. Other synonims: drink, absorb, suck, soak up, sop up, suck up, draw, take in, take up, assimilate

ponder

(v.) reflect deeply on a subject. Other synonims: chew over, think over, meditate, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate

meditate

(v.) reflect deeply on a subject; think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes. Other synonims: chew over, think over, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate, study

REPUDIATE

(v.) refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid; reject as untrue, unfounded, or unjust; refuse to recognize or pay; cast off or disown. Other synonims: renounce

VENERATE

(v.) regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. Other synonims: reverence, fear, revere

spurn

(v.) reject with contempt. Other synonims: reject, freeze off, scorn, pooh-pooh, disdain, turn down

extricate

(v.) release from entanglement of difficulty. Other synonims: untangle, disentangle, disencumber

cede

(v.) relinquish possession or control over; give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another. Other synonims: surrender, deliver, give up, concede, yield, grant

relinquish

(v.) relinquish to the power of another; yield to the control of another; release, as from one's grip; turn away from; give up; part with a possession or right; do without or cease to hold or adhere to. Other synonims: surrender, let go of, let go, release, foreswear, renounce, quit, resign, free, give up, waive, forgo, dispense with

EXPUNGE

(v.) remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line. Other synonims: strike, scratch, excise

oust

(v.) remove from a position or office; remove and replace. Other synonims: throw out, drum out, boot out, kick out, expel

belie

(v.) represent falsely; be in contradiction with. Other synonims: misrepresent, contradict, negate

EMBODY

(v.) represent, as of a character on stage; represent or express something abstract in tangible form; represent in bodily form. Other synonims: be, personify, incarnate, body forth, substantiate

Abscond

(v.) run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along. Other synonims: bolt, absquatulate, decamp, run off, go off, make off

iterate

(v.) run or be performed again; to say, state, or perform again. Other synonims: repeat, reiterate, ingeminate, restate, retell

SEQUESTER

(v.) set apart from others; undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion; requisition forcibly, as of enemy property; keep away from others; take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority. Other synonims: sequestrate, keep apart, set apart, isolate, seclude, withdraw, impound, attach, confiscate, seize

grovel

(v.) show submission or fear. Other synonims: fawn, crawl, creep, cringe, cower

TRADUCE

(v.) speak unfavorably about. Other synonims: badmouth, malign, drag through the mud

ENUMERATE

(v.) specify individually; determine the number or amount of. Other synonims: recite, itemize, itemise, count, number, numerate

vex

(v.) subject to prolonged examination, discussion, or deliberation; be a mystery or bewildering to; change the arrangement or position of; disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations. Other synonims: perplex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, nonplus, gravel, amaze, dumbfound, agitate, disturb, commove, shake up, stir up, raise up, worry, annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, chafe, devil

DEFER

(v.) submit or yield to another's wish or opinion; hold back to a later time. Other synonims: submit, bow, accede, give in, postpone, prorogue, hold over, put over, table, shelve, set back, remit, put off

INCRIMINATE

(v.) suggest that someone is guilty; bring an accusation against; level a charge against. Other synonims: imply, inculpate, accuse, impeach, criminate

recapitulate

(v.) summarize briefly; repeat stages of evolutionary development during the embryonic phase of life; repeat an earlier theme of a composition. Other synonims: recap, reprise, reprize, repeat

SUBSIDIZE

(v.) support through subsidies; secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy, as of nations or military forces. Other synonims: subsidise

corroborate

(v.) support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm; establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; give evidence for. Other synonims: underpin, bear out, support, confirm, sustain, substantiate, affirm, validate

EXTIRPATE

(v.) surgically remove (an organ); pull up by or as if by the roots; destroy completely, as if down to the roots. Other synonims: uproot, deracinate, root out, eradicate, exterminate

distend

(v.) swell from or as if from internal pressure; cause to expand as it by internal pressure; become wider. Other synonims: dilate

commandeer

(v.) take arbitrarily or by force. Other synonims: hijack, highjack, pirate

VITIATE

(v.) take away the legal force of or render ineffective; make imperfect; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality. Other synonims: invalidate, void, mar, impair, spoil, deflower, corrupt, pervert, subvert, demoralize, demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, deprave, misdirect

ACCEDE

(v.) take on duties or office; to agree or express agreement; submit or yield to another's wish or opinion. Other synonims: enter, assent, acquiesce, submit, bow, defer, give in

supplant

(v.) take the place or move into the position of. Other synonims: replace, supersede, supervene upon, supercede

reprove

(v.) take to task. Other synonims: admonish

Admonish

(v.) take to task; admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; warn strongly; put on guard. Other synonims: reprove, warn, discourage, monish, caution

espouse

(v.) take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; take in marriage. Other synonims: embrace, adopt, sweep up, follow, marry, get married, wed, conjoin, hook up with, get hitched with

inculcate

(v.) teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions. Other synonims: instill, infuse

impart

(v.) tell or deposit (information) knowledge; make known; pass on, of information; make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; bestow a quality on. Other synonims: leave, give, pass on, convey, unwrap, disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, divulge, break, give away, let out, lend, bestow, contribute, add, bring

DEFENESTRATE

(v.) throw through or out of the window

ACQUIESCE

(v.) to agree or express agreement. Other synonims: assent, accede

incommode

(v.) to cause inconvenience or discomfort to. Other synonims: trouble, put out, inconvenience, disoblige, discommode, bother

Aver

(v.) to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; report or maintain. Other synonims: affirm, verify, assert, avow, swan, swear, allege, say

COMMISERATE

(v.) to feel or express sympathy or compassion. Other synonims: sympathize, sympathise

itinerate

(v.) travel from place to place, as for work

Deride

(v.) treat or speak of with contempt

atone

(v.) turn away from sin or do penitence; make amends for. Other synonims: repent, expiate, aby, abye

prevail

(v.) use persuasion successfully; prove superior; continue to exist; be valid, applicable, or true; be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance. Other synonims: triumph, persist, die hard, run, endure, hold, obtain, predominate, dominate, rule, reign

imprecate

(v.) utter obscenities or profanities; wish harm upon; invoke evil upon. Other synonims: curse, cuss, blaspheme, swear, beshrew, damn, bedamn, anathemize, anathemise, maledict

revalue

(v.) value anew; gain in value. Other synonims: appreciate, apprize, apprise

GALLIVANT

(v.) wander aimlessly in search of pleasure. Other synonims: gad, jazz around

ENERVATE

(v.) weaken mentally or morally; disturb the composure of. Other synonims: faze, unnerve, unsettle

Abrade

(v.) wear away; rub hard or scrub. Other synonims: corrade, abrase, rub down, rub off, scour

PLEXIFORM

: of, relating to, or having the form or characteristics of a plexus *the plexiform layer of the retina* *plexiform synapse* *ships T pieced together on great plexiform ways by giant cranes— Life*

prelussory / prelusive

: constituting or having the form of a prelude : INTRODUCTORY : indicating that something is to follow *a prelusive warning*

Shadenfreude

: enjoyment obtained from the mishaps of others

EROTOMANIA

: excessive sexual desire especially as a symptom of mental disorder.

wile

1 : a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive : a sly artifice; also : a beguiling or playful trick *television advertising in America has simply adapted old wiles to new forms of expression— E.S.Turner* 2 : TRICKERY, DECEITFULNESS, GUILE synonyms see TRICK. Other synonims: trickery, chicanery, chicane, guile, shenanigan

Aborigine

1 : an indigenous inhabitant of a country : one of the native people especially as contrasted with an invading or colonizing people 2 aborigines plural : the original fauna and flora of a geographical area Other synonims: Abo, Aboriginal, native Australian, Australian Aborigine, autochthon

DONNYBROOK

1 : an uproarious brawl : FREE-FOR-ALL 2 : a rowdy contention between rival forces carried on in public (as in legislative halls and public print)

DÉCLASSÉ

1 : fallen or lowered in class, rank, or social position *he was déclassé enough to want to work with his hands— Times Literary Supplement* 2 : of inferior status *it's been a long time since dyed furs were considered déclassé— Lois Long*

corn-fed

1 : fed or fattened on corn or other grain *corn-fed hogs* 2 : well fed : PLUMP, HEALTHY *a husky, corn-fed youth of twenty-eight T addicted to thick, rare beef-steaks— W.A.White*

Embryonic

1 : of or relating to an embryo 2 : incipient and rudimentary. Other synonims: Other synonims: embryotic, embryologic, embryonal

Antediluvian

1 : of or relating to the period before the Flood described in the Bible *antediluvian man* 2 : ANTIQUATED : made, evolved, or developed a long time ago *an antediluvian automobile*. Synonyms see OLD.. Other synonims: antediluvian patriarch, antiquated, archaic, antediluvial, ancient

cognitive

1 : of, relating to, or being conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, remembering, imagining, or learning words) *the cognitive elements of perception— C.H.Hamburg* 2 : based on or capable of being reduced to empirical factual knowledge *to debate whether normative statements can be cognitive* -cognitively adverb

Accoutrements

1 : the act of accoutering or state of being accoutered 2 a : any article of equipment or dress especially when used merely as an accessory *she carried a pink parasol, a rather startling accoutrement* b : OUTFIT, FURNISHINGS, EQUIPMENT, TRAPPINGS, REGALIA; specifically : a soldier's outfit (as a rifle belt, pack, and other accessories) usually not including clothes and weapons *the accoutrements of war* — usually used in plural 3 a : an identifying but usually extraneous characteristic : a nonessential but usual accompaniment *political demagoguery accompanied by its unsurprising accoutrement of prejudice and stupidity* b : a typical device or procedure *the lurid accoutrements employed by the average comic artist— Coulton Waugh*

MUDSILL

1 : the lowest sill of a structure (as of a house, bridge, dam) usually embedded in soil or mud 2 : a person of the lowest stratum of society *a mudsill like me trying to push in and help— Mark Twain* *all classes and conditions of society from the millionaire to the mudsill— D.D.Martin*

Aggrieve

1 : to give pain, sorrow, or trouble to : GRIEVE, DISTRESS *I was aggrieved it did not include so notable a plant— Andrew Young* 2 : to inflict injury upon : OPPRESS, WRONG *provisions should be made for recourse to the courts by parties who may be aggrieved by such orders— S.T.Powell* synonyms see WRONG

Worn out

1 : used, damaged, or worn to the extent of being nearly or completely useless or unserviceable : DILAPIDATED *an old worn-out suit* *a worn-out automobile* 2 : entirely spent or exhausted in strength, energy, or vitality : DISSIPATED, DEPLETED *fertilizer was applied to worn-out soils— P.E.James* *buying worn-out horses and cattle* 3 : being out of fashion or use : STALE, TRITE, HACKNEYED *a recurrence of worn-out adjectives makes much of his work monotonous— Roland Mathias* *the poet is betrayed by clich*s and worn-out figures of speech— Burges Johnson*

Nepenthe

1 a : a potion or drug used by the ancients to give forgetfulness of pain and sorrow and held by some to have been opium or hashish b : something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering *only in occasional visits to the movies and lending libraries, in idle chatter and consoling gossip and scandal, and in the more unendurable cases to drink, can they find nepenthe— G.J.Nathan* 2 : a plant yielding nepenthe.

ANTIQUES

1 a : a relic or object of ancient times or of an earlier period than the present b : a work of art, piece of furniture, or decorative object made at a much earlier period than the present and according to United States customs laws at least 100 years old.

Affront

1 a : to insult especially to the face by behavior or language *those who now smile upon and embrace would affront and stab each other if manners did not interpose— Earl of Chesterfield* b : to offend especially by showing disrespect *the prince affronted his father by embarking on a love affair— Geoffrey Bruun* 2 a : to face in defiance : CONFRONT *affront death* 3 : to appear directly before *the still fresh scar on the hillside which affronts the traveler's eye— Norman Douglas* 4 archaic : to front upon : border upon. synonyms see OFFEND

SEQUACIOUS

1 a archaic : inclined to follow : SUBSERVIENT, TRACTABLE b : inclined to be servile : IMITATIVE, OBSEQUIOUS 2 obsolete : characterized by malleability : DUCTILE, PLIABLE 3 : logically sequent

hootenanny

1 a chiefly dialect : THING, GADGET; usually : a device or piece of mechanical equipment — used especially when the standard name is unknown *the hootenanny that goes on top of the carburetor* b usually hootenanny : a device for holding a crosscut saw in position while sawing a log from the under side 2 usually hootenanny : a gathering at which folksingers entertain often with the audience joining in

FULIGINOUS

1 obsolete : of or relating to certain noxious bodily vapors formerly held to be produced by organic processes *it is not amiss to bore the skull with an instrument to let out the fuliginous vapors— Robert Burton* 2 a : of, relating to, or containing soot : SOOTY *plenty of Londoners who are fed up with the current spell of fuliginous, choking weather— Mollie Panter-Downes* b : CLOUDED, OBSCURE, MURKY *a fuliginous sense of ironical humor— W.J.Locke* 3 : having the color of soot : DARK, DUSKY

SANGFROID

: extraordinary often cold-blooded self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain *with gigantic sangfroid I performed one of her own dances for her— Agnes de Mille* synonyms see EQUANIMITY

Allege

2 a : to state or declare as if under oath positively and assuredly but without offering complete proof b : to assert, affirm, state without proof or before proving *alleged that the suspect is a kidnaper* *the newspaper alleges the mayor's guilt* 3 archaic : to adduce or bring forward (as a source or authority) especially for or against *his Muse can allege most of *the apologies of Aristophanes*— T.L.Peacock* 4 : to bring forward as a cause or reason especially for excusing oneself from blame, reproach, or dislike *when she turned to him for help T he perhaps justly alleged that he had troubles of his own— Gamaliel Bradford* synonyms see CITE

COGNOSCENTE

: a person having or claiming expert knowledge in one or more realms of the fine arts or of fashion : CONNOISSEUR *art dealers, collectors, and other cognoscenti— Janet Flanner*

GEMEINSCHAFT

: a spontaneously arising organismic social relationship characterized by strong reciprocal bonds of sentiment and kinship within a common code of tradition; also : a community or society characterized by such a relationship — contrasted with gesellschaft

blasé

: apathetic to pleasure or life especially as a result of excessive indulgence or enjoyment : SOPHISTICATED *the blasé* traveler likes to refer to the ocean he has crossed as *the pond*— R.E.Coker* : WORLD-WEARY *the blasé* indifference of T the people— Jack Belden*

POLLYANNA

: one having a disposition or nature characterized by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything : an overly and often blindly optimistic person : an irritatingly cheerful person *the facts on inflation are sugarcoated by the Pollyannas— Atlantic* *not such a Pollyanna as to deny the probability or recessions— Dun's Review*

SINE QUA NON

: something absolutely indispensable or essential <reliability is a sine qua non for success>

Nonplus

: to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : reduce to a state of total incapacity to act or decide : PERPLEX, BAFFLE, STUMP *this turn of events nonplusses me— J.R.Perkins* *nonplussed by the disclosure— Newsweek* *for a moment the girl was nonplussed— A.R.Williams* synonyms see PUZZLE. Other synonims: perplex, vex, stick, get, puzzle, mystify, baffle, beat, pose, bewilder, flummox, stupefy, gravel, amaze, dumbfound

penny pinch

: to give out money to in a niggardly manner *takes a sinister but fascinating kind of joy in T penny-pinching his own family— James Yaffe* : deprive of funds by petty economy *penny-pinched himself out of T millions of dollars— S.N.Behrman*

NEOPHYTE

A beginner, novice, amateur, tyro; specifically, a new member of or convert to a religion. - There are several interesting words for various types of inexperienced persons. - Tyro comes from a Latin word meaning a recruit in the Roman army, a newly enlisted soldier. Tyro is used today to mean a raw beginner, one who may be eager to learn but who is utterly incompetent. - Amateur comes from the Latin amare, to love. By derivation an amateur is a person who does something for the love of it rather than for money. An amateur may or may not be skilled, but the word often implies a lower level of competence than expert or professional. - A dilettante is an amateur practitioner of an art, such as music, painting, acting, dancing, or literary composition. - Dilettante is often used disparagingly of someone who dabbles in something and lacks the serious discipline necessary to excel. - Like tyro, both novice and neophyte refer to a person just starting out at something. Tyro emphasizes the beginner's incompetence; novice emphasizes the beginner's inexperience; and neophyte emphasizes the beginner's enthusiasm.

PERQUISITE

A benefit, incidental gain or reward; specifically, an expected or promised benefit, privilege, or advantage received in addition to one's normal salary or wages. - You may not have heard the word perquisite before, but I'll bet you're familiar with the noun perk, as in the phrase "a job with good perks," meaning a job with good benefits and privileges. Just as the word bennies has today become the popular, informal substitute for benefits, the word perk was created as a shorter, snappier, and informal synonym for perquisite. But unlike benny meaning benefit, which is recent slang and has yet to make it into a dictionary, perk dates back to the 1820s. Nevertheless, perk did not appear in an American dictionary until the 1960s, when Merriam‑Webster's Third New International recorded it along with the label "chiefly British." Since then, however, perk has become fully standard in American usage, and because it has retained its informal flavor it is now more widely used than the original word, perquisite. - Perquisite comes from a Latin noun meaning acquisition, and ultimately from a Latin verb meaning to ask or search for diligently. In modern usage, perquisite refers to a benefit or privilege accompanying a position. The perquisites of a job are the nice things you expect or that have been promised in addition to your salary. An expense account, a company car, a commodious office, and a profit‑sharing plan all are nice perquisites—if you can get them.

VENDETTA

A bitter, protracted feud or rivalry. - Vendetta comes through Italian from the Latin vindicta, revenge, vengeance, the source also of the English word vindictive, vengeful, seeking revenge. The vindictive person feels he has been wronged and is disposed to retaliate; in certain cases this may lead to a vendetta, a long, bitter, and often violent feud. - Vendetta refers specifically to the violent tradition, formerly practiced in Italy, Sicily, and Corsica, of revenging the murder of a relative by killing the murderer or a member of his family. Of course, such private, extralegal vengeance usually leads to further retaliation, until a murderous rivalry ensues. Both in Italian and in English, these protracted blood feuds are known as vendettas. Anyone who's seen the Godfather film trilogy knows that vendettas are still common among the American Mafia, and they can last for generations. - In English, vendetta may also be used more generally to mean any long, bitter feud or rivalry, not necessarily between families and not necessarily attended by bloodshed: "The mayor accused her opponent of waging a vendetta instead of a campaign." "At first Steve was excited about his new managerial position with Eye‑for‑an‑Eye Incorporated, but he soon realized that the company was run by backstabbing executives engaged in vicious departmental vendettas."

BOON

A blessing, timely and welcome benefit, something beneficial bestowed upon one, something to be thankful for. - A boon once meant a favor or request. In stories of yore—of time long past—knights, courtiers, and all manner of supplicants would bow before their kings and queens and say, "As your humble servant, I beseech you to grant me this boon." Are you wondering what supplicant means? A supplicant is a person who begs for something, and supplication is the act of begging for something humbly and earnestly. - Getting back to boon, the meaning "favor, request" is now archaic, or old‑fashioned, and today boon is used to mean a blessing, a timely and welcome benefit, something to be thankful for, as in "This good weather is a boon"; "His efforts were a boon to their enterprise."

VICISSITUDE

A change, variation. - Synonyms of vicissitude include alternation, fluctuation, and mutation. - By derivation, vicissitude means "change," and in modern usage a vicissitude is a change, variation, or an alternating condition occurring in the course of something. The word is perhaps most often used in the plural, vicissitudes, to refer to the changes that occur during the course of something, the ups and downs. We speak of the vicissitudes of daily life, the vicissitudes of the stock market, or of a business surviving the viccissitudes of twenty turbulent years.

IMBROGLIO

A complicated or intricate situation; a difficult, perplexing state of affairs; also, a misunderstanding or disagreement of a complicated and confusing nature. - Synonyms of imbroglio include entanglement, embroilment, predicament, and quandary. - Imbroglio comes through Italian and Old French from Latin and means by derivation to entangle, confuse, mix up, embroil. When imbroglio entered English in the mid‑1700s, it meant "a confused heap," but this sense is now rare. The great Oxford English Dictionary shows that by the early 1800s imbroglio had come to mean "a state of great confusion and entanglement; a complicated or difficult situation; a confused misunderstanding or disagreement." The unraveling of an imbroglio is a common plot in many plays, novels, and operas, but there are plenty of imbroglios in real life as well. Open the newspaper on any given day and you will find stories of political imbroglios, financial imbroglios, marital imbroglios, and criminal imbroglios.

RECRIMINATION

A countercharge or counteraccusation. - Recrimination combines the prefix re‑, which means "back" or "again," with the Latin verb criminari, to accuse, bring a charge against, and means literally to accuse in return, accuse again. The great Webster's New International Dictionary, second edition, defines recrimination as "an accusation brought by the accused against the accuser." - Recriminations, or countercharges, are perhaps most often heard today in political campaigns, international relations, and legal proceedings. In modern usage, when we speak of mutual recriminations the word usually suggests a series of bitter denunciations exchanged in the course of fervid debate. - Recrimination is the noun. The corresponding verb is recriminate, to bring a countercharge against, denounce in return. The corresponding adjective has two forms: recriminative and recriminatory.

STRICTURE

A criticism, critical comment, especially an unfavorable or hostile observation or remark. - Synonyms of stricture include reproof, censure, condemnation, disapprobation, castigation, objurgation, and animadversion. Antonyms include praise, compliment, commendation, acclamation, and plaudit. - Plaudit, applause, and applaud all come from the Latin plaudere, to clap the hands, express approval. A plaudit is an enthusiastic expression of approval or praise. It's always pleasant to be on the receiving end of a plaudit, and it's always unpleasant to be on the receiving end of a stricture, an unfavorable criticism or hostile remark. - Stricture comes from the Latin strictus, the past participle of the verb stringere, to draw tight, bind, the source also of the English words strict and stringent. Stringent means tight, constricted, or rigorous and severe. We often speak of stringent laws, stringent measures, stringent regulations, or a stringent economic policy. - In medicine, stricture is used to mean a contraction or narrowing of a duct or passage in the body. Stricture is also sometimes used as a synonym of limitation or restriction, as "to place strictures on imported goods." Most often, though, stricture is used to mean a sharply critical comment, especially one that passes judgment or points out a fault in an antagonistic way: "During the debate, he displayed admirable equanimity when responding to his opponent's strictures." - Bear in mind that stricture is a noun, not a verb. In other words, you cannot stricture something, but if you have an unfavorable opinion of a person or a thing, you can express your strictures, sharp criticisms or hostile remarks.

PANACEA

A cure‑all, universal antidote, remedy for all diseases and difficulties. - Panacea comes from the Greek pan‑, all, and akos, cure, and today retains its literal meaning, cure‑all. From the same Greek pan‑, all, comes the English prefix pan‑, which appears in front of a number of English words: a panorama is literally a view all around; pantheism, from the Greek theos, god, is the belief that all things are God, that God is universal; and a pantheon is a temple dedicated to all the gods, or all the gods worshiped by a given people. In current usage pantheon may also mean any group of highly respected or revered persons. When novelist Toni Morrison won a Nobel Prize in 1993, she earned a place beside such esteemed writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Mark Twain in the pantheon of American literature. - You have probably heard the common phrase "a panacea for all ills." The expression is redundant, because panacea by itself means a cure for all ills, a universal remedy. You may use panacea to mean either a cure‑all for physical ailments or an antidote for worldly woes: "His lawyer emphasized that filing for bankruptcy would not be a panacea for his financial troubles."

SUBTERFUGE

A deception, trick, underhanded scheme. - Synonyms of subterfuge include stratagem, artifice, and ruse. - By derivation subterfuge means to flee secretly, escape. In modern usage the word applies to any secret or illicit plan or activity designed to conceal a motive, escape blame, or avoid something unpleasant: "Mystery and spy novels abound with myriad examples of the art of subterfuge." - Don't soften the g in this word and say SUHB‑tur‑fyoozh. The final syllable, ‑fuge, should rhyme with huge.

ICONOCLAST

A person who attacks cherished or popular beliefs, traditions, or institutions; someone who destroys or denounces an established idea or practice. - Iconoclast comes from the Greek eikonoklastes, an image‑breaker, a person who smashes icons or images. Originally the word referred to a person who destroyed religious images, or who was opposed to the use or worship of religious images. In modern usage iconoclast refers to a person who attacks, denounces, or ridicules cherished ideas or beliefs, or to someone who advocates the overthrow or destruction of established customs or institutions. - Synonyms of the noun iconoclast include radical, extremist, insurgent, and firebrand. The corresponding adjective is iconoclastic, attacking or opposing established or popular beliefs, customs, or institutions.

INCRIMINATE

To charge with a crime, accuse of wrongdoing, implicate, present evidence or proof of involvement in a wrongful act. - You can see all but the last letter of the word criminal in the spelling of incriminate. When you incriminate someone, you accuse that person of doing something illegal or unethical. Incriminating evidence corroborates a person's involvement in a wrongful act. An incriminating statement is a statement that makes one appear guilty of wrongdoing.

CATACLYSM

A disaster, great mishap, catastrophe, violent upheaval. - A disaster, a catastrophe, a calamity, a debacle, and a cataclysm all refer to accidents, misfortunes, and sudden or violent changes. Let's examine these words in order. - The negative prefix dis‑ denotes the absence or reverse of what follows: - dislike is an absence of affection, discomfort is the absence of comfort, and disadvantage is the reverse of an advantage. In the word disaster, discombines with the Latin astrum, a star, to mean literally a reversal of the stars, an unfavorable horoscope; hence, an absence of luck, misfortune. - Today disaster refers to a great misfortune involving ruinous loss of life or property. The sinking of the Titanic and the stock market crash of 1929 were disasters. - Catastrophe combines the Greek kata‑, down, with strophe, turn, to mean literally a down‑turning. Originally catastrophe referred to the final turning point in a Greek tragedy where things go down the drain. Today catastrophe is used interchangeably with disaster, but properly disaster emphasizes the unforeseen, unlucky aspect of an event and catastrophe emphasizes its tragic and irreversible nature: The stock market crash of 1929 was a disaster for Wall Street, but it was only the beginning of the economic catastrophe we now call the Great Depression. - A calamity is an event that produces great distress, hardship, or misery, particularly on a personal level: The death of a loved one is always painful, but there is no greater calamity than the death of a child. - Debacle refers by derivation to a violent breaking up of ice in a river. It is often used today of any violent disruption or breakdown that leads to collapse or failure: "The breakup of the former Soviet Union was the debacle of communism"; "When Colosso Corporation laid off 20 percent of its workforce, company executives called it downsizing but employees called it a debacle." - Our keyword, cataclysm, comes from a Greek verb meaning to wash away or dash over. In its original sense, still in good standing today, a cataclysm is a great flood, a deluge, specifically the biblical flood that inundated the earth for forty days and forty nights. - In current usage, cataclysm most often refers to a violent upheaval that causes great destruction and change. The adjective is cataclysmic. A cataclysmic event may be geological—such as a devastating earthquake, fire, or flood—or it may be social or political. Many would say that World War II was the greatest cataclysm in the tumultuous course of twentieth‑century history.

CHARLATAN

A fake, quack, imposter, fraud, humbug; specifically, a person who pretends to have a special skill or knowledge. - The words charlatan and mountebank are close in meaning and were once synonymous. Mountebank comes from the Italian montambanco, one who gets up on a bench. By derivation a mountebank is a person who mounts a bench or platform and delivers a flamboyant sales pitch to attract customers and hawk his wares. In its earliest sense, a charlatan was a huckster who made elaborate and fraudulent claims about his merchandise. In olden days, charlatans and mountebanks would travel about selling trinkets, relics, and panaceas; they were the proverbial snake‑oil salesmen. - Since the early nineteenth century, however, charlatan has been used to mean a fake or a quack, someone who pretends to have a special skill or knowledge and who covers up the fraud with an elaborate and sometimes intimidating verbal display. In The Wizard of Oz, the Wizard is a classic example of a charlatan. - Today charlatans and mountebanks continue to thrive not only at carnivals and on the street corner but in the office and the boardroom as well. - They're the ones who are always giving you the glad hand and handing you a line. The difference between them is that the mountebank makes an impressive verbal display in an attempt to sell you a bill of goods, while the charlatan makes an impressive verbal display to hide the fact that he doesn't have the skill or knowledge he claims to possess.

PLATITUDE

A flat, dull, ordinary remark, a trite statement or hackneyed saying, especially one uttered as if it were original or profound: "Phil thought the management seminar was a big waste of time because the instructor kept repeating the same old platitudes he had heard many times before." - Platitude comes from the French word for flat, and means literally "a flat remark." Synonyms of platitude include cliché, truism, and bromide. - Platitude also has several useful relatives. The adjective platitudinous refers to speech or expression that is dull, ordinary, commonplace, insipid, banal. The verb to platitudinize means to utter platitudes. And a platitudinarian is a person who habitually utters platitudes —flat, dull, ordinary remarks. - In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character Polonius is considered a platitudinarian. In bidding leave to his son Laertes, the pompous old adviser cannot resist sharing his favorite precepts, among them "Neither a borrower nor a lender be," "To thine own self be true," and "The apparel oft proclaims the man." These and many other expressions from Shakespeare have since become platitudes—dull, ordinary statements uttered as if they were still meaningful and fresh.

SYCOPHANT

A flatterer, parasite, toady, fawning follower, hanger‑on. - No one knows the precise origin of the words sycophant and toady, but various theories and folk etymologies abound. According to most sources, the word toady is related to toad. As the etymologist Joseph T. Shipley recounts the story in his Dictionary of Word Origins, the charlatans and mountebanks of medieval times usually traveled with an assistant who would swallow, or seem to swallow, a live toad, "so that the master could display his healing powers. These helpers were called toad‑eaters; then the term came to mean a flattering follower," and "the word has been shortened to toady." - Sycophant is thought to come from a Greek word meaning to show figs. - As the legend goes, the Athenians passed a law prohibiting the export of figs from their city. Like many laws, this one was rarely enforced, but "there were always found mean fellows," says Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, "who, for their own private ends, impeached those who violated it; hence sycophant came to signify first a government toady, then a toady generally." Although by derivation sycophant means an informer, today the word refers to people who attempt to gain influence or advancement by ingratiating themselves through flattery and servility: "Joanne warned Lucy her first day on the job that Ralph and Diane were the office sycophants, always sucking up to the boss and stabbing people in the back." - The corresponding adjective is sycophantic.

DISQUISITION

A formal discussion of or inquiry into a subject; a discourse. - General synonyms of disquisition include treatise, critique, and commentary. More specific synonyms include lecture, thesis, oration, homily, tract, monograph, and dissertation. - Discourse, dissertation, and disquisition all refer to formal discussions of or inquiries into a subject. Discourse, which may refer either to writing or speech, means a formal treatise, lecture, or conversation. Dissertation may mean any lengthy discourse in writing, such as Noah Webster's Dissertations on the English Language, published in 1789; however, in current usage dissertation most often refers to a formal thesis written by a candidate for a doctoral degree. Disquisition applies to any formal treatment of a subject, usually but not necessarily in writing.

OBJURGATION

A harsh rebuke, vehement scolding or denunciation. - Synonyms of the noun objurgation include reproof, reproach, upbraiding, vilification, and vituperation. - The corresponding verb is objurgate. - To objurgate is to rebuke sharply, chide harshly, denounce vehemently. - Objurgate and objurgation come from the Latin ob‑, against, and jurgare, to scold or quarrel. In colloquial terms—that is, in the vernacular—when you are called on the carpet or you are read the riot act, you are on the receiving end of an objurgation, a harsh rebuke, vehement scolding or denunciation.

CACOPHONY

A harsh, jarring sound, especially a harsh and unpleasant blend of sounds. - Synonyms of cacophony include dissonance, discord, disharmony, and stridency. Antonyms include silence, tranquility, serenity, placidity, and quiescence, the noun corresponding to the adjective quiescent. - Cacophony comes from the Greek kakos, bad, and phoné, sound, and by derivation means "bad‑sounding." - You can see the influence of the Greek phoné, sound, in the English words phonetic, pertaining to or representing the sounds of speech; symphony, which means literally "sounding together"; and telephone, which by derivation means "a voice from afar." - The Greek kakos, bad, is the source of the English prefix caco‑, which appears in front of a number of interesting English words to mean "bad" or "wrong." For example, cacography is bad writing; cacology is bad speaking or a bad choice of words; cacoepy is bad pronunciation, as opposed to orthoepy, good pronunciation; a caconym is a bad or erroneous name; a cacodoxy is a wrong or unacceptable opinion; cacoeconomy is bad economy or bad management; and, last but not least, we have the fascinating word cacoëthes. - Cacoëthes combines the Greek kakos, bad, with ethos, habit, and means a bad habit, incurable itch, or an insatiable urge or desire: "Mary could overlook John's fingernail biting, excuse his excessive smoking and drinking, and forgive his frequent use of foul language, but the one obnoxious habit she could not bring herself to condone was his addiction to channel surfing. That, in her estimation, was his most loathsome cacoëthes." - And now let's return to our keyword, cacophony. Any harsh, jarring sound, and especially any harsh and unpleasant blend of sounds, can be described as a cacophony: the cacophony of traffic; a cacophony of angry voices; the cacophony created by a major construction project; the cacophony of newborn babies crying in the nursery. - The corresponding adjective is cacophonous, having a harsh, unpleasant, jarring sound: "The hungry animals in the barnyard together raised a cacophonous complaint"; "It seemed that every day the tranquility of his well‑manicured suburban street was disturbed by a cacophonous orchestra of lawnmowers, blowers, and edgers." Synonyms of cacophonous include dissonant, discordant, raucous, and strident.

DEARTH

A lack, scarcity, insufficiency, inadequate supply of something needed. - A more difficult synonym of dearth is paucity. Antonyms of dearth include abundance, surplus, excess, superfluity, plethora, and surfeit. - Dearth is a noun formed from the adjective dear. Something dear is precious, costly, highly valued. Literally, a dearth is a lack of something dear. Dearth is now used of any serious insufficiency or inadequate supply: - a dearth of supplies; a dearth of hope; a dearth of opportunities in the job market.

MYRMIDON

A loyal follower, faithful servant or subordinate, especially someone who is unquestioningly obedient. - In ancient Greek legend, the Myrmidons were a people of the region of Thessaly who fought in the Trojan War under their king, the great warrior Achilles. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable notes that the Myrmidons "were distinguished for their savage brutality, rude behaviour, and thirst for rapine." - The Oxford English Dictionary traces Myrmidon back to the year 1400, and shows that by the seventeenth century it had come to be used in a general sense to mean "an unscrupulously faithful follower or hireling; a hired ruffian." The Myrmidons were perhaps in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's mind when he composed the famous lines in his 1855 poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade": "Theirs not to make reply/Theirs not to reason why/Theirs but to do and die/Into the valley of Death/Rode the six hundred." - In current usage, a myrmidon, with a small m, is a loyal follower or an obedient servant, a person who follows orders or executes commands without question and, if necessary, without scruple.

STIGMA

A mark of shame or disgrace, a moral blemish, a stain on one's character or reputation. - Stigma comes directly from Greek, and means literally a mark, brand, tattoo. In its original but no longer common sense, stigma refers to a brand or scar made with a red‑hot iron in the flesh of slaves and criminals. Later it came to be used of anything that branded a person as unwholesome or disgraceful, a mark of shame, stain on one's character or reputation: the stigma of divorce; the stigma of a bad credit rating. The corresponding verb is stigmatize, to brand as shameful, set a mark of disgrace upon: The media rarely have an indifferent view of celebrities and politicians; they either praise them or stigmatize them. - The plural of stigma is either stigmas or stigmata. Stigmas is the anglicized plural —to anglicize means to make English, conform to English modes of spelling, pronunciation, and usage. Stigmata, the Latinate plural, is also an interesting word by itself. Specifically, stigmata refers to marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Jesus Christ that are believed to have been supernaturally impressed on the bodies of certain persons, such as St. Francis of Assisi. - Now for a word of advice on pronunciation. For the plural stigmata, STIG‑muh‑tuh, with the stress on the first syllable, follows the Latin and Greek accentuation and is the traditional English pronunciation. The alternative pronunciation stig‑MAH‑tuh, with the accent on the second syllable, has been around since the 1920s; it is now standard and listed first in some dictionaries. Despite its popularity, however, stig‑MAH‑tuh is a pseudoclassical pronunciation; in other words, those who say it that way probably think they are following the proper classical accentuation. Although stig‑MAH‑tuh is not wrong, it carries a slight stigma of affectation. There is no such stigma associated with the pronunciation STIG‑muh‑tuh, which I recommend as having a longer tradition and greater authority.

PARAGON

A model of excellence, perfect example. - Paragon applies to a person or thing so excellent that it serves as a model or example of perfection. The inventor Thomas Alva Edison is a paragon of American ingenuity. In her Camelot days, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was considered a paragon of beauty and style. The Gettysburg Address is a paragon of forceful, eloquent speechwriting. - A paragon is a model of excellence, a perfect example.

ENIGMA

A mystery, puzzle, riddle, perplexing problem, something or someone hard to understand or explain. - Anything baffling, inexplicable, or inscrutable may be described as an enigma: "She is an enigma to me"; "Their motives are still an enigma"; "The case presents us with one enigma after another."

IDIOSYNCRASY

A peculiarity, distinctive characteristic of a person or group, an identifying trait or mannerism. - An idiosyncrasy, an eccentricity, and a quirk all designate behavior that is peculiar or distinctive. - Quirk is a mild term for any unusual trait, characteristic, or mannerism. - Constant use of um, like, and y'know is a quirk of adolescent speech. Old people often have quirks, odd preferences or strange ways of doing things. - An eccentricity is a habit or characteristic that seems strange or peculiar because it differs from what is considered usual or normal. A friend of mine who is also a writer prefers to spell his name without the customary period after the middle initial. Of course, every time he publishes an article he winds up in a battle with some copyeditor who insists on "correcting" this eccentricity. - Our keyword, idiosyncrasy, comes from Greek and means literally "one's own peculiar temperament, habit, or bent." In modern usage the word suggests a distinctive characteristic or identifying trait that sets a person apart. An idiosyncrasy may appear somewhat strange or odd, or it may simply mark someone or something as individual and different from others: - a writer may have certain stylistic idiosyncrasies; a wine connoisseur can tell you the idiosyncrasies of a particular vintage; and to a person from the Midwest, the speech of someone from New England is full of idiosyncrasies, peculiar or distinctive characteristics. - Idiosyncrasy is the noun; the corresponding adjective is idiosyncratic, peculiar, distinctive, odd.

EXPONENT

A person who stands or speaks for something, a representative or advocate. - Exponent comes from the Latin exponere, to put forth, put on view, display. The Latin exponere is also the source of the English verb to expound, which means to explain, interpret, set forth point by point, as to expound an idea or to expound the principles of business management. An exponent may be a person who expounds, an explainer, interpreter, or commentator, but in current usage exponent more often applies to a person who stands or speaks for something, someone who represents, advocates, or promotes some idea or purpose: The leader of a political party is the exponent of its principles and goals; the pontiff is the exponent of Roman Catholicism; the framers of the U.S. Constitution were exponents of democracy and individual liberty; and Carry Nation, the austere and abstemious nineteenth‑century temperance crusader who chopped up saloons with a hatchet, was a radical exponent of abstinence from alcoholic beverages.

SINECURE

A position that provides a good income or salary but that requires little or no work; in colloquial terms, a cushy job. - Sinecure comes from the Latin phrase beneficium sine cura, which means "a benifice without cure." And what does that mean, you ask? A benefice is an endowed church position or office that provides a member of the clergy with a fixed income or guaranteed living. A "benefice without cure" means a paid position for a member of the clergy that does not require pastoral work—in other words, the curing of souls. Pastors, vicars, rectors, and the like who were granted sinecures by their church did not have a congregation, and they were paid well to do little or nothing. - Sinecure is such a useful word that it was soon adopted by the laity to mean any position or office that has no specific duties or work attached to it but that provides an income or emolument.

DILEMMA

A predicament. In general, any difficult problem or unpleasant situation; specifically, a predicament in which one must choose between equally undesirable alternatives. - As I mentioned in my discussion of quandary, dilemma is often used today of any difficult problem or troublesome situation, but many good writers and speakers object to that as loose usage. - Dilemma comes from the Greek di‑, meaning two, and lemma, a proposition, and by derivation means a choice between two propositions. - Strictly speaking, dilemma should be used only of situations in which one faces a choice between equally undesirable alternatives: Elected officials often face the dilemma of either voting for what their constituents want and going against their conscience, or voting their conscience and losing the support of their constituents. - Quandary, quagmire, and dilemma all refer to complicated and perplexing situations from which it is hard to disentangle oneself. - Quandary emphasizes confusion and uncertainty; someone in a quandary has no idea what to do to get out of it. - Quagmire emphasizes hopelessness and impossibility. Literally, a quagmire is a bog, a tract of soft, wet ground. When used in a figurative sense, quagmire refers to an inextricable difficulty. Someone in a quagmire feels hopelessly stuck and unable to get out. - By derivation, a dilemma is a choice between two equally undesirable, unfavorable, or disagreeable propositions. Hamlet's famous dilemma was "to be or not to be." - Colloquial or informal expressions for the state of being in a dilemma include "in a fix," "in a pickle," "between a rock and a hard place," and "between the devil and the deep blue sea."

PREDILECTION

A preference, partiality, preconceived liking, an inclination or disposition to favor something. - Synonyms of predilection include fondness, leaning, bias, prejudice, predisposition, affinity, penchant, propensity, and proclivity. - Predilection comes through French from the Medieval Latin verb praediligere, to prefer. Unlike the words bias and prejudice, which are often used negatively, predilection has either a neutral or positive connotation and is used as a stronger synonym of preference and partiality. According to the third edition of Webster's New World Dictionary, a predilection is "a preconceived liking, formed as a result of one's background, temperament, etc., that inclines one toward a particular preference." You can have a predilection for anything you are naturally partial to or inclined to like, as a predilection for ice hockey, a predilection for solving crossword puzzles, a predilection for country music, or a predilection for Italian cuisine.

NOSTRUM

A quack remedy or medicine; a panacea; hence, a dubious or dishonest plan or scheme for curing a social or political problem. - Nostrum comes from the Latin noster, which means "our." In days of yore, the charlatan and the mountebank—two unsavory types that I discussed in word 17 of Level 4—would sell their panacea or cure‑all by calling it a nostrum, meaning literally "our remedy." As a result, the word nostrum came to mean a medicine whose ingredients are kept secret and whose preparer makes exaggerated claims about its effectiveness, which has not been proved. - That definition is still in good standing, as a trip to any health‑food store will prove. Because quack remedies can be applied not only to the ills of the body but also to the ills of the body politic, in modern usage nostrum has also come to mean a dubious or dishonest plan or scheme for curing a social or political problem. Throughout society today, from the bars to the talk shows to the hallowed halls of government, you can hear quacks, eccentrics, and downright weirdos proposing their nostrums for the ills of the world.

RETORT

A quick reply, especially one that is cutting or witty. - A retort and a rejoinder are similar in meaning but not quite synonymous. - Rejoinder may be used generally to mean any answer or response, but specifically it means a counterreply, an answer to a reply. A retort is a swift, pointed response. - Retort comes from the prefix re‑, back, and the Latin torquere, to twist, turn, and means literally "something turned back." In its most precise sense, a retort is a quick reply that counters or turns back a statement or argument: "Phil's clever retorts kept his opponent on the defensive."

RENAISSANCE

A revival, rebirth, resurgence, renewal of life or vigor. - The Renaissance was a revival of classical forms and motifs in art, architecture, literature, and scholarship that began in Italy in the fourteenth century, spread throughout Europe, and continued into the seventeenth century. Historically, the Renaissance marked the end of the medieval era and the beginning of the modern world. - The word renaissance comes from a French verb meaning to be born again. When spelled with a small or lowercase r, renaissance may refer to any renewal or resurgence of life, energy, or productivity. Many types of renaissance are possible: a cultural renaissance, a moral renaissance, a spiritual renaissance, and even a renaissance in the economy. A renaissance is a revival, rebirth, resurgence.

PECCADILLO

A small sin, slight offense, minor fault or flaw. - Peccadillo means literally "a small sin." It comes through Spanish and Italian ultimately from the Latin peccare, to make a mistake, blunder, sin. - From the same source English has also inherited three other useful words: - peccant, which means guilty, sinful, culpable; peccable, which means liable to sin or do wrong; and its antonym impeccable, which means incapable of sin, unable to do wrong, and therefore free from all faults or imperfections. - Synonyms of peccadillo include failing, frailty, and foible. All these words suggest a weakness, imperfection, or defect of character or habit. Failing implies a relatively minor but noticeable shortcoming: Parents are never perfect; all have their failings. Frailty implies a weakness that can be exploited or that leads one to yield to temptation: Frailties are an inescapable part of human nature. Foible suggests a harmless or trivial weakness or flaw that can be easily overlooked: You may regret your failings and try to keep your frailties in check, but you can laugh about your foibles. Our keyword, peccadillo, is a small sin or slight offense that is easily forgiven: A good manager knows how to distinguish between an employee who commits peccadilloes and an employee who causes problems. - The plural of peccadillo is peccadilloes, which is preferred by most American authorities and listed first in American dictionaries, or peccadillos, the British preference.

QUANDARY

A state of uncertainty, perplexity, or doubt. - Predicament, dilemma, and quandary all apply to situations or conditions that are difficult and perplexing. - A predicament is a situation that is especially unpleasant or unfortunate: - "Larry looked at his smashed‑up car lying in the ditch, then at his mistress who was more smashed than his car, and he wondered how he had gotten himself into this predicament." - Dilemma is often used today of any difficult problem or troublesome situation, but many good writers and speakers object to that as loose usage. Dilemma comes from the greek di‑, meaning two, and lemma, a proposition, and by derivation means a choice between two propositions. Strictly speaking, dilemma should be used only of situations in which one faces a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, as "The soldiers who defended the Alamo faced a terrible dilemma: to surrender or die." - A quandary is a state of uncertainty or confusion that renders one unable to act. To be "in a quandary" means to be puzzled, full of doubts, and not sure what to do: "Julie was in a quandary over whether to look for a better job"; "the thought of buying a new house put them in a quandary: they wanted a nicer place with more room for the kids, but could they afford it?"

MARTINET

A strict disciplinarian, taskmaster, rigid enforcer of rules and regulations. - Martinet comes from General Jean Martinet, a seventeenth‑century French drillmaster who became legendary for subjecting his troops to harsh discipline and for his rigid adherence to military rules and regulations. In modern usage, martinet may refer to a strict military disciplinarian, or more generally to any rigid, authoritarian enforcer of rules and regulations.

NOMENCLATURE

A system of names, especially a system of names used in a science, art, or branch of knowledge. - Nomenclature combines the Latin nomen, meaning "name," with calare, to call, and by derivation means "name‑calling," not in a negative but in a neutral, disinterested sense. From the same source comes the unusual English word nomenclator. According to the Century Dictionary, "in ancient Rome candidates canvassing for office...were attended each by a nomenclator, who informed the candidate of the names of the persons they met, thus enabling him to address them by name." From that sense nomenclator came to be used to mean one who invents names for things, specifically a person who assigns technical names in scientific classification. - Nomenclature is the system of names used by a nomenclator, the whole vocabulary of names or technical terms used in a given science, art, or branch of knowledge. Engineering, philosophy, economics, and chemistry all have distinct nomenclatures, as do music, carpentry, computer science, and plumbing. In the eighteenth century, the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus founded the binomial system of nomenclature, which has since been adopted by many sciences.

COMPUNCTION

A twinge of regret caused by an uneasy conscience; a pang of guilt for a wrong done or for pain that one has caused another. - Synonyms of compunction include remorse, misgiving, scruple, and qualm. A stronger synonym is contrition, word 9 of Level 5, which means repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one's sins or for something one has done wrong. - Compunction comes through the Late Latin compunctio, a pricking of conscience, ultimately from the Latin verb pungere, to prick, sting, pierce, or stab. The Latin pungere is also the source of the English words puncture, meaning to prick, pierce, or stab; pungent, which means piercing or stinging to the smell or taste, as a pungent aroma; and poignant, which means piercing or penetrating to the senses, the emotions, or the intellect. - When you feel the prick or sting of conscience or a twinge of regret for something you have done wrong, or when you feel a pang of guilt for causing pain to another person, that is a compunction: "After a year, Ned still had compunctions about ending his relationship with Suzy." If your conscience is clear and you have no regrets, you lack compunction: - "Vanessa grew sick and tired of working for a martinet, and when she finally decided the time was right to quit her job, she did so without compunction."

CATEGORICAL

Absolute, unqualified, explicit; without exceptions, conditions, or qualifications. - Antonyms of categorical include ambiguous, and doubtful, dubious, indefinite, enigmatic, and equivocal. - In the philosophy of logic, a categorical proposition affirms something absolutely without resorting to conditions or hypothesis. In the philosophy of ethics, Immanuel Kant's famous categorical imperative is, as the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary puts it, "an unconditional moral law that applies to all rational beings and is independent of any personal motive or desire." - In general usage, categorical refers to statements or assertions that are absolute, unqualified, direct and explicit. A categorical reply is direct and explicit; a categorical refusal is complete and unconditional; a categorical denial is absolute and unqualified. - Although categorical may be used of any utterance that is absolute and unqualified, today it often suggests a statement or state of mind that is rigid, narrow, arrogant, or arbitrary. A categorical decision may seem universal to some but unfair and arbitrary to others. And when someone calls a creed or opinion categorical, the implication is that some assert that it is absolute while others believe it is narrow‑minded or false.

COPIOUS

Abundant, plentiful, large in amount or number. - Synonyms of copious include ample, bountiful, and profuse. Antonyms include scanty, meager, sparse, and paltry. - Copious comes from the Latin copia, abundance, plenty, and means literally abundant, plentiful. From the same Latin copia, plenty, and cornu, a horn, comes the English word cornucopia, a horn of plenty. Historically, a cornucopia is a symbol of abundance and prosperity in the form of a goat's horn overflowing with fruit, flowers, and grain. In modern usage, cornucopia is often applied to any overflowing stock or supply, as a cornucopia of menu selections, or a cornucopia of products and services. - The adjective copious may be used of anything that exists or is provided in abundance. Copious praise is abundant praise; a copious harvest is a plentiful harvest; copious information is a great supply of information; copious speech overflows with words.

DROLL

Amusing, humorous, comical; especially, funny or witty in an odd or outrageous way. - Synonyms of droll include ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, and waggish. - Antonyms include sober, sedate, staid, and austere. - Droll comes from a French word meaning a buffoon, a jester, or a wag. - Droll was once used as a noun to mean a buffoon, someone who clowns around telling jokes and performing amusing tricks—the kind of person that today we might describe as "the life of the party." The noun a droll is now old‑fashioned, and in current usage droll is used as an adjective to mean amusing or witty in a quirky, eccentric way. A droll person has a playful, lively sense of humor; a droll expression is an oddly comical expression; a droll remark is humorous in an offbeat way. - The corresponding noun is drollery, which may denote either an oddly amusing quality or something said or done in a slightly outrageous and amusing way.

SUPPOSITION

An assumption, theory, hypothesis. - To suppose means to assume as true, put something forward for consideration. A supposition is something supposed, an idea put forward for consideration. - A hypothesis, a conjecture, and a supposition are all assumptions or theories. - A hypothesis is a preliminary or incomplete theory based on insufficient evidence: "There are conflicting hypotheses about the origin of the universe." - A conjecture is an assumption based on so little evidence that it is merely an educated guess: "Every week we hear different conjectures about trends in the stock market." - A supposition may be based on ample evidence or no evidence at all, and may be either sensible or irrational: "His suppositions about the company's financial condition proved consistent with the facts."

ACCOLADE

An award; sign of respect or esteem; expression of praise; mark of acknowledgment; anything done or given as a token of appreciation or approval: "At the ceremony she received an accolade from the president for her work"; "He was showered with accolades after the success of his project." - Here's an interesting word story for you: Accolade comes through French and Italian from the Latin accollare, to embrace, which comes in turn from ad‑, meaning "to," and collum, the neck, the source of the word collar. - Originally, an accolade was an embrace, specifically the ritual embrace used in conferring knighthood. At one time this consisted of a ceremonial kiss and a light blow on each shoulder with the flat side of a sword. Later the embrace was dropped and the ceremony was limited to the tap on each side of the collar with a sword. From this ritual the word accolade has come to mean any special recognition of merit, achievement, or distinction. - My preferred pronunciation for accolade is ak‑uh‑LAYD, but there are no fewer than three other established, acceptable pronunciations: AK‑uh‑layd, with the stress on the first syllable; ak‑uh‑LAHD, final syllable rhyming with rod; and AK‑uh‑lahd, stress on the first syllable.

MISCREANT

An evil, unscrupulous, vicious person; someone without principles or conscience; a villain, criminal. - Because the world contains so many evil, unscrupulous, vicious people, the language abounds with synonyms for the noun miscreant, including but not limited to scoundrel, rascal, rogue, hoodlum, hooligan, ne'er‑do‑well, varlet, rapscallion, blackguard, desperado, scapegrace, scofflaw, malefactor, and reprobate, word 17 of this level. - Miscreant, which entered English in the fourteenth century, comes through Old French from Latin, and combines the prefix mis‑, which means "bad" or "not," with the Latin credere, to believe. By derivation a miscreant is someone who does not believe. - For several centuries the word was used to mean a heretic, a person who rejects or flouts religious principles, but this sense is now archaic and since at least the time of Shakespeare miscreant has been used to mean a morally bad person, a vile wretch, detestable scoundrel. The adjective miscreant, pronounced the same way, means villainous, evil, destitute of conscience.

PARADIGM

An example, model, or pattern. - Paradigm, which gets its unusual spelling from Greek, is used of an example that serves to illustrate or explain something or that serves as a model or pattern. Scholars develop paradigms for their theories; a novel may be a paradigm of contemporary morality; an important experience can serve as a paradigm for evaluating later experiences; and the successful strategy of one corporation may be the paradigm for another corporation's plan to restructure itself and redefine its goals. - The corresponding adjective is paradigmatic, which means exemplary, typical, serving as a model or pattern. - PAR‑uh‑dim is the original pronunciation, preferred by authorities of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The alternative pronunciation PAR‑uh‑dym came along sometime before 1900 and appears to have originated in Britain; it is now preferred by most educated speakers on both sides of the Atlantic. Modern authorities and current dictionaries countenance both pronunciations, and you may say the word as you please.

PLETHORA

An excess, surplus, overabundance, oversupply. - Synonyms of plethora include superabundance, profusion, superfluity, and surfeit. - Antonyms of plethora include scarcity, insufficiency, dearth, and paucity: "The worst kind of boss is the one who offers a plethora of advice and a paucity of assistance." - Plethora comes from the Greek plethein, to be full. In medicine the word is used to mean an excess of blood in the body; in general usage plethora may refer to any excess, surplus, or overabundance: "This report contains a plethora of dull statistics." "Throughout her career she was blessed with a plethora of opportunities." "American consumers no longer give the bulk of their business to small, specialized retailers, but instead prefer to shop at superstores that offer a plethora of merchandise at discount prices." - Plethora is the noun; the corresponding adjective is plethoric. A plethoric harvest is an overabundant harvest, a bumper crop. Plethoric wealth is excessive wealth. Plethoric writing is verbose, inflated writing; it overflows with words or puffed‑up self‑importance. When used of language, plethoric is synonymous with the words bombastic and turgid. - Plethora is sometimes mispronounced with the stress on the second syllable, ple‑THOR‑uh. Dictionaries do not recognize this variant. Be sure to stress the first syllable: PLETH‑uh‑ruh.

PRETEXT

An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose. - Pretext comes through the Latin praetextum, an ornament, from the verb praetexere, to pretend, literally "to weave in front." By derivation a pretext is a front, a faade, something used for cover. As the Century Dictionary puts it, a pretext is "that which is assumed as a cloak or means of concealment; something under cover of which a true purpose is hidden." - Tyrannical leaders often invent pretexts for invading or declaring war on other countries. Irresponsible employees will invent pretexts for not coming to work. A supervisor who hates an employee's guts may try to come up with a pretext for firing the person. A pretext is an excuse, an ostensible reason designed to hide the real reason.

PROCLIVITY

An inclination, liking, leaning; a strong natural bent or tendency, often toward something disagreeable, objectionable, or wicked. - Synonyms of proclivity include partiality, penchant, predisposition, predilection, and propensity. - By derivation proclivity means a sloping forward or downward; hence, a leaning, tendency, or inclination. In current usage the word may have a neutral connotation, as a proclivity to study, a proclivity for music. More often, however, propensity is used in this neutral sense, and proclivity usually suggests a strong natural bent or inclination toward something bad or wrong. For example, a person may have a proclivity for drinking or gambling, a proclivity to lie, or antisocial proclivities.

EPIGRAPH

An inscription; especially, an inscription on a building or monument, or a brief quotation at the beginning of a literary composition that suggests or is germane to its theme. - Epigraph, epigram, and epitaph are close in meaning but sharply distinguished in usage. - An epitaph is an inscription on a gravestone or tomb in memory of the person buried. In The Devil's Dictionary, a classic work of satirical lexicography, the acerbic and crotchety humorist Ambrose Bierce defined epitaph as "an inscription on a tomb, showing that virtues acquired by death have a retroactive effect." Dorothy Parker, another American writer famous for her quick, mordant wit, once proposed these two epitaphs for herself: "Excuse my dust" and "This is on me." - Epigram has two meanings. Originally it referred to a short, witty poem—for example, this two‑line ditty by Ogden Nash: "I like eels/' cept as meals." Later epigram also came to mean a short, pointed saying that displays terse wit or a clever twist of thought. One of the greatest epigrammatists, or writers of epigrams, who ever lived was the nineteenth‑century poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. Here are three examples of Wilde's epigrams: "When people agree with me I always feel that I must be wrong." "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." "[A cynic is] a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." - Our keyword, epigraph, is formed from the prefix epi‑, meaning "on" or "above," and the Greek verb graphein, to write. This Greek verb has influenced many English words, including electrocardiograph, an instrument for recording the beating of the heart; orthography, correct spelling; polygraph, otherwise known as a lie detector; and graphology, the study of handwriting. Whenever you see a word containing graph, you can reasonably assume that it has something to do with writing. - An epigraph by derivation means a writing on or above something; hence, an inscription. When you see words engraved on a building, a monument, or a statue, that's an epigraph. When you see a brief quotation placed at the beginning of a book, a chapter, a poem, or the like, that is also an epigraph.

CROTCHET

An odd notion or whim that one clings to stubbornly. - The corresponding adjective is crotchety. A crotchety person is full of crotchets, and therefore stubbornly eccentric. Crotchety is often applied to cantankerous old people who are set in their eccentric ways. - Crotchet comes from a Middle English word meaning a staff with a hook at the end. It is related to the familiar word crochet, the form of needlework in which thread is looped with a hooked needle. Crotchet was once used to mean a reaping hook or a hooklike instrument. In modern usage, however, the most common meaning of crotchet is an odd notion or whim that hooks you or that you cling to stubbornly, as if with a hook. - Webster's New World Dictionary, third edition, says that crotchet "implies great eccentricity and connotes stubbornness in opposition to prevailing thought, usually on some insignificant point." A crotchet may appear insignificant to others, but if it's your crotchet, it's far from trivial. - Think of all the eccentric people you know, young or old, who cling to some odd notion or peculiar way of doing something and you will see that to the people who hold them, crotchets are heartfelt convictions. - In The Writer's Art, James J. Kilpatrick includes a long chapter in which he lists, without excuses or apology, one hundred of his crotchets about usage. "Every one...is as dear to me," he writes, "as Audrey, the country wench, was dear to Touchstone. She was an ill‑favored thing, sir, but his own. If I am tetchy about the placement of only, that's it. I'm crotchety." - And before your verbally advantaged guide gets crotchety about usage too, let's move on to the next word.

PARIAH

An outcast; a person despised or rejected by society. - Pariah entered English in the early 1600s from Tamil, one of the languages of India. In the traditional social system of India, people were divided into classes called castes. Unlike in the United States, where there has always been a great deal of class mobility, downward as well as upward, until recently the Indian caste system was rigid, and the pariah caste was one of the lowest on the social ladder. Its members worked chiefly as agricultural and domestic laborers and as servants to the British when India was a British colony. The third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary notes that until 1949 the pariahs "were also known as untouchables." - From this sense of social inferiority, the word pariah came to be used in English of any person despised or rejected by society, an outcast. - Although pariah is often used to describe criminals, outlaws, degenerates, and derelicts, the word does not always connote lawlessness, abject poverty, or antisocial behavior. Young people can become pariahs at school if they don't wear the right clothing or do what is considered "cool." In the 1960s, the hippies became pariahs in the eyes of the establishment because of their disdain for traditional values and opposition to the Vietnam War. And in the 1950s, during Senator Joe McCarthy's infamous witchhunt for Communist subversives, many people who worked in the Hollywood film industry were blacklisted and treated like pariahs, social outcasts.

PARVENU

An upstart; specifically, a person who suddenly acquires wealth and power and rises to a higher class, but who is not accepted by the members of that class. - Parvenu comes from a French verb meaning to succeed, and means literally "a person newly come into success." Parvenu almost always is used in a negative sense of a person who gains wealth and standing, but who cannot gain the social acceptance of the wealthy and powerful. In the eyes of the established elite, the parvenu is an upstart—undeserving, uncultured, immodest, and often pretentious. - Those masters of the fine art of condescenscion, the French, have condescended to give English another useful term for this sort of person: - arriviste. As you may have deduced from that spelling, arriviste means literally "a person who has recently arrived." The word crossed the English Channel into the language about 1900, and is used today of someone who attains social prominence or a position of power sometimes by unscrupulous means and always without paying the necessary dues. - Both the parvenu and the arriviste are upstarts, but the difference between them is this: The parvenu usually acquires wealth and status by an accident of fate—for example, through an unexpected inheritance, a business windfall or promotion, or by cleaning up at Las Vegas. Once arrived, the parvenu makes an awkward or pretentious attempt to gain social acceptance from the members of the class into which he has risen. - The arriviste, on the other hand, is a vulgar and often ruthless social climber who has clawed his way to the top and doesn't care what anyone thinks or says about it.

EXIGENCY

An urgency, pressing need; a situation demanding immediate attention or action. - Exigency comes from the Latin exigere, to demand, force or drive out, and by derivation means something one is demanded, forced, or driven to do. In current usage we speak of an unforeseen exigency; a financial exigency; front‑page newspaper stories focusing on the exigencies of the moment. The corresponding adjective is exigent, urgent, pressing, demanding immediate attention or action. - According to the Century Dictionary, an exigency is a situation of sudden urgency, in which something needs to be done at once. An emergency is more pressing and therefore less common than an exigency. For example, every day the federal government deals with exigencies in foreign affairs, but only occasionally must it respond to a national emergency. A crisis is an emergency on which the outcome of everything depends, as a midlife crisis, or an economic crisis.

APPROBATION

Approval, acceptance; especially, official approval or authorization. - Synonyms of approbation include commendation, endorsement, sanction, ratification, and acclamation. - Antonyms include rejection, opposition, disapprobation, renunciation, repudiation, disavowal, and abjuration. - The noun approbation comes from the Latin approbare, to approve, and by derivation means approval. However, because of its Latin derivation, approbation is more formal and dignified than approval. Children seek the approval of their parents; the president of the United States seeks the approbation of Congress or the electorate. When you want the go‑ahead on a plan, you ask your boss for approval. When your plan succeeds and your boss rewards you with a raise or a promotion, that's approbation.

CONTENTIOUS

Argumentative, quarrelsome, ready and eager to argue, bicker, or debate. - Contentious, litigious, pugnacious, disputatious, belligerent, and bellicose all refer to quarrelsome or hostile parties who are inclined to engage in argument or conflict. - Bellicose means having a warlike or hostile nature. The ancient Spartans were a bellicose people. - Belligerent may mean either participating in fighting or provoking a fight or a war. A belligerent nation either engages in conflict or provokes a conflict. A belligerent look or a belligerent remark can lead to a fight. - Pugnacious by derivation means ready to fight with the fists; it suggests a temperamental inclination to fight or quarrel: "As a child Melvin was unruly, as a teenager he was deviant, and as an adult he became a pugnacious barroom brawler." - Disputatious means inclined to dispute, and usually applies to people who engage in formal arguments or to anything involving formal debate. Scholars are often disputatious, and it goes without saying that politics is disputatious. - Litigious means tending to engage in lawsuits or litigation. - Although it is entirely appropriate to say that the legal profession is litigious, meaning that its business is to engage in lawsuits, in current usage litigious often implies an overeagerness to settle every minor dispute in court. - Contentious comes from the Latin contentio, striving, effort, and ultimately from contendere, to strain or strive against another. - From the same source we inherit the verb to contend, to struggle, fight, strive in opposition, and the noun contention, which may mean either a struggle, opposition—"They were in contention for the job"—or an assertion made in an argument: "It was his contention that if the company wanted to remain solvent, it should truncate its workforce." - The adjective contentious means always ready and willing to quarrel, and suggests a persistent inclination to pick fights or arguments. You can be in a contentious mood, meaning you are in an argumentative mood; you can have a contentious coworker, one who is quarrelsome; or you can make a contentious comment, one intended to provoke an argument. - Antonyms of contentious include peaceable, obliging, civil, tolerant, amiable, amicable, benevolent, equable, and forbearing.

FUGACIOUS

Fleeting, passing quickly away. - Synonyms of fugacious include transient, ephemeral, transitory, and evanescent. - The words fugacious and fugitive come from the same Latin source, the verb fugere, to flee, fly away. As a noun, fugitive refers to a person who flees, especially from the law; as an adjective, fugitive may mean either fleeing, running away, or passing away quickly, not permanent, temporary. - In this last sense it is an exact synonym of the more difficult word fugacious, fleeting, passing swiftly, lasting but a short time.

INCORRIGIBLE

Bad beyond correction or reform, hopeless, irreformable; also, unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control. - Synonyms of incorrigible in the sense of "bad beyond correction or reform" include irredeemable, irreclaimable, unrepentant, inveterate, and unregenerate. - Synonyms of incorrigible in the sense of "unruly, difficult to control" include obstinate, willful, and intractable. - The adjective corrigible means "capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed." By adding the privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," to the adjective corrigible, we get its antonym, incorrigible, not capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed—and therefore hopelessly bad, irreformable, as an incorrigible drinker, an incorrigible practical joker. - Because incorrigible behavior cannot be corrected or reformed, it also cannot be managed or controlled, and from that logical inference grew the second meaning of incorrigible: unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control. - Wild, unruly teenagers and spoiled children who will not mind their parents are often called incorrigible.

PULCHRITUDE

Beauty, loveliness, attractiveness. - Pulchritude comes directly from the Latin word for beautiful. In his famous and influential dictionary, published in 1755, Samuel Johnson defined pulchritude as the "quality opposite to deformity." - Pulchritude is a literary word that is usually applied to persons or things that have great physical beauty or external appeal: a woman of pulchritude; the pulchritude of nature. Occasionally it is used of something whose beauty manifests itself in a more subtle way, as the pulchritude of the soul. - What seems meretricious to you may possess pulchritude for another, for as the saying goes, "Pulchritude is in the eye of the beholder." - The corresponding adjective is pulchritudinous, physically beautiful or lovely.

NASCENT

Beginning to exist or develop; in the process of being born or begun; coming or having just come into being. - Synonyms of nascent include emerging, dawning, developing, commencing, embryonic, incipient, and inchoate. - Antonyms include ancient, extinct, outworn, outmoded, antiquated, obsolete, senescent, and antediluvian. Antediluvian means of the time before the Deluge, the great flood described in the first book of the Bible, Genesis; hence, extremely old or old‑fashioned: "The horse and buggy is an antediluvian mode of transportation"; "Bob's father still prefers to write on an antediluvian manual typewriter." - There is nothing antediluvian about the word nascent, which comes from the Latin verb nasci, to be born. By derivation, nascent means in the process of being born, beginning to exist or develop. We speak of a nascent idea, a nascent republic, a nascent relationship, nascent anxiety, or nascent hope. The corresponding noun is nascency, which means birth or beginning: "The year 1776 marks the nascency of American democracy."

CREDENCE

Belief, acceptance, especially belief in a published report or acceptance of another's opinion or testimony: "In recent years many medical studies have shown that reducing fat intake can help prevent heart disease, and there is now widespread credence among the public that a low‑fat diet is more healthful." - Credence, creed, credible, and credulous all come from the Latin credere, to believe. Credible means believable, and credulous means willing to believe without questioning. Creed, word 21 of Level 1, refers to a declared belief or formal set of opinions: "Conservatism is his creed." Credence refers to belief itself, to acceptance of something stated or heard: "It is dangerous to give credence to gossip." - Credence is often used with the verbs to give or lend. "She gave no credence to their claims." "His neat appearance and confident manner lent credence to his story."

CREED

Belief, professed faith or opinion, especially a system of religious belief. - Synonyms include doctrine and dogma. - In the United States it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on race or creed, belief. - Creed comes from the Latin credo, "I believe," the source of the English word credo. A credo is a declared set of beliefs or opinions. - Credo and creed are synonymous. Credo is the more learned word, usually reserved for a formal declaration of belief. Creed is used more generally of any professed faith or opinion. - The Latin credo is also the source of incredible, not believable, credible, believable, and credulous. Credulous means inclined to believe, willing to accept something as true without questioning. Credulous and gullible are synonymous. To a credulous person, even the most outrageous tall tales seem credible.

MORDANT

Biting, cutting, keen, sarcastic, scathing. - Additional synonyms of mordant include incisive, caustic, trenchant, virulent, and acrimonious. - When you think of mordant, think of gnashing teeth. Mordant comes from Old French and Latin words meaning to bite, cut into, nip, or sting. Today mordant is chiefly used of speech or writing that is biting or cutting in a bitterly sarcastic way. We speak of mordant satire, mordant wit, mordant criticism, or a mordant cross‑examination.

CARNAL

Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit, sensual, corporeal. - Carnal is not used to mean bodily in a general or neutral sense; we do not say carnal functions or carnal aches and pains. Carnal refers to the basic physical appetites of the body, especially the sexual appetite. We speak of carnal desires, carnal lust, carnal knowledge.

TERSE

Brief and to the point, free of superfluous words, expressed in a pointed and polished way. - More difficult synonyms of terse include concise, pithy, succinct, and laconic. - Antonyms include long‑winded, redundant, verbose, and prolix. - Concise, succinct, and terse all suggest brevity, expressing something in a brief and direct way. Concise implies eliminating anything unnecessary or superfluous: "Her presentation was persuasive and concise." Succinct implies getting the point across in the fewest possible words: "An effective letter to the editor must be succinct." - By the way, I'm sure you've heard the beastly mispronunciation suh‑SINGKT, which in recent years has become widespread among educated speakers. Good speakers don't say ASS‑uh‑dent for accident, uh‑SEPT for accept, or suh‑SEED for succeed, so there's no logical reason for saying suh‑SINGKT. Take care to pronounce the cc in succinct like k‑s: suhk‑SINGKT. - But let's get back to our keyword, terse. Terse writing or speech is brief, pointed, and polished. It communicates smoothly and effectively, without digressions or excess words. Terse may also suggest expression that is blunt or brusque. A terse reply is brief and pointed, but it stops just short of being rude.

MALLEABLE

Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated, adaptable, impressionable. - Certain metals, such as gold and iron, are malleable; they can be molded or shaped. In a figurative sense, malleable can also apply to a person or abstract thing that can be molded or shaped. For example, a young person's mind may be malleable, impressionable, capable of being shaped, or an idea may be malleable, adaptable, capable of being shaped to fit various purposes. - Malleable and the challenging word tractable are close in meaning. Malleable comes from the Latin malleare, to hammer, and means literally "capable of being hammered into a desired shape." Tractable comes from the Latin tractare, to handle, manage, haul or drag along. From the same source comes the familiar word tractor, the farm vehicle used to pull wagons, mowers, and other agricultural equipment. By derivation that which is tractable can be pulled or hauled; hence, a tractable person is manageable, easily handled. A malleable person or thing is easily hammered into shape, and therefore is adaptable, impressionable. - Antonyms of malleable and tractable include inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, obstinate, and intransigent.

INSOUCIANT

Carefree, nonchalant, lightheartedly unconcerned or indifferent, free from worry or anxiety, calm and unbothered. - The French phrase sans souci means without care or worry. The English word insouciant combines the privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," with the French souci, care, worry, to mean literally not caring, free from worry, lightheartedly unconcerned: "Nanette dismissed Albert's contentious interruption with an insouciant wave of her hand and went on with what she was saying." Insouciant sometimes implies a carefree indifference or lack of concern for consequences: "Jim drove with an insouciant disregard for the speed limit and the hazards of the road that Paula found frightening." - The corresponding noun insouciance means lighthearted indifference, nonchalance, a carefree lack of concern: "Basking in Angelina's ethereal presence, Peter experienced an insouciance he had never allowed himself to feel before."

CIRCUMSPECT

Careful, cautious, wary, watchful, carefully considering all circumstances before acting or making a judgment. - Synonyms of circumspect include discreet, vigilant, and prudent. - Earlier in this level you learned the word circumscribe, to limit, confine, restrict. As in that word, the circum‑in circumspect means around. The second half of circumspect comes from the Latin specere, to look at carefully, observe. - The Latin specere is also the source of the words spectator, one who looks on; spectacle, something unusual to look at, an impressive display; and spectacular, wonderful to behold. By derivation, circumspect means looking around carefully before making a decision or taking action, and that's the meaning of the word today. - Careful implies close attention and concern; one is careful to pronounce words properly. Cautious implies guarding against danger and risk; you should be cautious when crossing the street. Circumspect implies a worried care, a nervous, wary cautiousness. The circumspect person is concerned about unforseen circumstances and unfavorable consequences, and so is careful to avoid making an ill‑considered move.

VOLATILE

Changeable, unstable, inconstant, likely to change or shift rapidly and unpredictably: The stock market is often volatile; a person may have volatile moods; the weather in New England is notoriously volatile. - Synonyms of volatile include fickle, flighty, capricious, erratic, protean, and mercurial. - Antonyms include stable, fixed, steadfast, invariable, immutable, and quiescent. - Volatile, which entered English in the early 1600s, has a volatile history, full of many shifts and changes in meaning. The word comes from the Latin volare, to fly, and its original meaning was "flying" or "having the power to fly." Today volatile is rarely used in this sense, and instead we have the word volant, which came into the language shortly before volatile from the same Latin volare, to fly. Volant means flying, able to fly, or quick, nimble, agile. - The fickle, unpredictable volatile then came to mean evaporating quickly, easily vaporized, as a volatile oil or liquid. In the science of chemistry it is still used in this way, and today it would be unusual but not outlandish for an essayist to write about the volatile morning dew, or for a weathercaster to speak of volatile fog or clouds, or for a TV chef to discuss the volatile nature of wine used in cooking. - By the mid‑seventeenth century the inconstant volatile had acquired its most durable meaning: changeable, unstable, inconstant, likely to change or shift rapidly and unpredictably. In this sense it is a close synonym of capricious and mercurial. Out of this notion of changeability and inconstancy, volatile gained two more meanings: fleeting, vanishing swiftly, transient, ephemeral; and also lighthearted, lively and carefree, whimsical, prone to flights of fancy. - In the second half of the twentieth century volatile took on yet another meaning: explosive, likely to erupt into violence. You will often hear volatile used this way in news reports about domestic or international affairs characterized by tension and sporadic conflict. This sense is an outgrowth of the meaning "unstable, unpredictable," for when a situation is unstable or unpredictable it is often likely to explode or erupt in violence. - Finally, in the 1990s volatile acquired one more sense. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, third college edition, in the jargon of computer science volatile is used to mean pertaining to "memory that does not retain stored data when the power supply is disconnected." - Despite its capricious, changeable history, volatile has remained close to its roots. For as I'm sure you can see, all the various senses of volatile incorporate the notions of flight, flightiness, and swift, unpredictable change suggested by the word's Latin root, volare, to fly. When you see or hear volatile used, and when you use it yourself, remember that in all of its senses the word describes that which can swiftly fly away from one condition or mood into another. - Volatile is the adjective; the corresponding noun is volatility.

GRANDILOQUENT

Characterized by lofty, high‑flown language; full of grand or high‑sounding words. - Synonyms of grandiloquent include bombastic, grandiose, florid, and turgid. All these words suggest speech or writing that is inflated, affected, or extravagant. - Antonyms of grandiloquent include plain‑spoken, forthright, unaffected, and candid. - Grandiloquent combines the word grand with the suffix ‑iloquent, which comes from the Latin loqui, meaning "to speak." By derivation, grandiloquent means "speaking in a grand manner." The Latin loqui is also the source of loquacious, talkative, and colloquial, which means pertaining to informal speech or conversation. - Believe it or not, the English language has more than twenty words that incorporate the suffix ‑iloquent and designate different ways of speaking. - Of course, most of them reside quietly in the depths of unabridged dictionaries and are rarely used, but here are a few you may find useful: - Magniloquent comes from the Latin magnus, meaning "great, large," and means speaking pompously, using grand or high‑flown language. Magniloquent and grandiloquent are virtually interchangeable. - From the Latin multus, meaning "many" or "much," comes multiloquent, using many words, talking up a storm; and from the Latin brevis, meaning "short," comes the word breviloquent, speaking briefly. - When you speak in an urbane, sophisticated manner, you are suaviloquent. When you speak like a scholar or an expert on some subject, you are doctiloquent. When you speak solemnly or of sacred matters, you are sanctiloquent. And if you talk in your sleep, you are somniloquent.

MELLIFLUOUS

Flowing smoothly and sweetly, like honey. - The adjective mellifluous comes through Middle English from Latin and means literally flowing like honey. The word has stuck like honey to its root, and in modern usage mellifluous means honeyed or honey‑toned, flowing smoothly and sweetly. - Mellifluous often applies to sounds or words, as a mellifluous voice, mellifluous music, a mellifluous speaker, or mellifluous writing.

PHILANTHROPIC

Charitable, benevolent, humane; motivated by or done out of a desire to help or improve the welfare of others. - The corresponding noun philanthropy means a desire to help others, especially through charitable giving. - Philanthropy and philanthropic both come from the Greek philein, to love, and anthropos, man. Philanthropy means literally "love of mankind"; the adjective philanthropic means literally "loving mankind." - You can see the Greek philein, to love, in such words as philosophy, literally love of wisdom; and philharmonic, literally loving or devoted to music. You can see the Greek anthropos, man, in anthropology, the study of mankind, of human customs, habits, and traditions; and anthropomorphic, shaped like or resembling a man or human being. - The words philanthropic, humanitarian, altruistic, and charitable all mean helping others. Charitable refers specifically to giving money to help others. Altruistic suggests unselfish giving. Humanitarian applies to persons or organizations devoted to reducing the pain and suffering of others. Philanthropic literally means motivated by a desire to help others; today the word is used chiefly of persons or organizations that make large charitable gifts, fund endowments, or finance humanitarian or cultural institutions.

TAWDRY

Cheap and showy, gaudy, garish, sleazy. - Legend has it that tawdry comes from the phrase "tawdry lace," a corruption of "Saint Audrey lace," a type of lace sold at Saint Audrey's fair in England. Apparently the lace was of inferior quality, thus over time the word tawdry came to mean cheap and showy. Today the word may be used both literally and figuratively. A person may wear tawdry clothing or have a tawdry reputation.

ALACRITY

Cheerful readiness, eagerness, or promptness in action or movement: - "The duty of the firefighter is to answer every alarm with alacrity." - Synonyms of alacrity include quickness, liveliness, briskness, enthusiasm, animation, zeal, and celerity According to Funk & Wagnalls Standard Handbook of Synonyms, Antonyms, and Prepositions, alacrity denotes "that cheerful and hearty willingness from which quickness and promptness naturally result; hence, a prompt response. Alacrity springs from some demand from without; eagerness is spontaneous, springing from within; eagerness to act may produce alacrity in responding to the call for action." - Alacrity and celerity are close in meaning. Both suggest "quickness in movement or action," says Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Celerity "implies speed in accomplishing work; alacrity stresses promptness in response to suggestion or command." Because celerity emphasizes swiftness, you cross a busy street, complete a project, or run from danger with celerity. Because alacrity emphasizes eagerness, liveliness, or promptness, you meet a challenge, return a telephone message, or respond to a call for help with alacrity.

PUERILE

Childish, immature; hence, foolish, silly. - Puerile comes through the Latin puerilis, meaning youthful, childish, from puer, a child. - Synonyms of puerile in the sense of "childish or immature" include infantile and juvenile. Synonyms of puerile in the sense of "foolish or silly" include inane, frivolous, asinine, fatuous, sophomoric, and callow. - Infantile, juvenile, and puerile all may be used in a general way to mean pertaining to childhood. Specifically, however, infantile means pertaining to infancy, to babyhood or very early childhood; puerile means pertaining to the childhood years, the time between infancy and puberty; and juvenile means pertaining to preadulthood, the teenage years. - You can see the words used in this specific way in the phrases "infantile paralysis," "juvenile court," and "puerile respiration," which is a respiratory murmur heard in healthy children that in adults is considered a sign of disease. - These three words may also be used in a general sense to mean childish, immature, foolish, characteristic of youth. In this sense, juvenile is the least negative; puerile implies harsher judgment; and infantile is the strongest, suggesting the most disagreeable characteristics of childhood— extreme silliness and immaturity. For example, juvenile desires may be simply youthful desires, childlike thoughts in an older head. Puerile behavior is childish and inappropriate behavior, unbecoming of one's years; it may refer to children who act younger than they are, and it may only be temporary. Infantile behavior, however, is extremely childish, and an infantile remark is foolish and stupid. - Puerile has two corresponding nouns: puerilism and puerility. - Puerilism is a psychiatric term for the abnormal appearance of childish behavior in an adult. In my considered but medically unsubstantiated opinion, puerilism is the chief occupational disorder of writers and actors. - Puerility may be used in a general sense to mean childishness, immaturity; in civil law, puerility refers to the status of a child between infancy and puberty. Between puberty and the established legal age of maturity, the child is a juvenile.

UNEQUIVOCAL

Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain, having a single, obvious meaning, capable of being interpreted in only one way. - Unequivocal, clear and direct, and ambiguous, uncertain, unclear, are antonyms. - Unequivocal combines the common prefix un‑, which means not, with the word equivocal, a synonym of ambiguous. Equivocal language can be interpreted in several ways; it is deliberately vague, evasive, or ambiguous. - Unequivocal language is clear, straightforward, and direct: "Reporters are so accustomed to equivocal answers from government officials that they are often surprised and suspicious when they get an unequivocal response." - Now that you know the meaning of unequivocal I'd like to caution you about how you pronounce it. I have heard many educated speakers add a syllable to the word and say "unequivocable," and I have even seen the word misspelled that way in books and magazines. No matter whom you hear saying "unequivocable," it's incorrect—a beastly mispronunciation. - Unequivocal ends with ‑vocal, not ‑vocable, and has five syllables: - un‑e‑quiv‑o‑cal.

LUCID

Clear, easy to see or understand, plainly expressed. Lucid is also commonly used to mean clear of mind, mentally sound, rational, sane: "His ninety‑year‑old mother is senile, but she still has some lucid days." - Synonyms of lucid in the first sense—clear, easy to understand—include intelligible, comprehensible, limpid, and perspicuous. - Antonyms include murky, obscure, befuddled, nebulous, ambiguous, and abstruse, which means complicated, hard to understand. - Anything that is clearly understood or plainly expressed can be described as lucid: a lucid explanation; a lucid question; a lucid account of the issues. - The unusual but useful word pellucid intensifies the meaning of lucid; pellucid means exceptionally clear, extremely easy to see or understand.

AFFINITY

Close resemblance or relationship, a strong likeness, similarity, or connection, as the affinity of the Italian, French, and Spanish languages, an affinity among the painters of the Impressionist school, an affinity between the blues and early rock and roll. - Affinity may also mean a natural attraction to, or liking for, a person or thing, as an affinity for classical music, an affinity for the freewheeling literature of the Beat Generation, an affinity among neighbors in a close‑knit community. - Synonyms of affinity in the sense of "close resemblance or relationship" include kinship, correspondence, compatibility, and consanguinity. Synonyms of affinity in the sense of "liking or attraction" include penchant, propensity, and proclivity. - Affinity comes from a Latin word meaning "relationship by marriage," and dictionaries still recognize this literal sense although the word is not often used in that way. In current usage affinity usually means either a close relationship or likeness, or a natural attraction to or liking for a person or thing.

BANAL

Common, ordinary, unoriginal; flat, dull, and predictable; lacking freshness or zest. - Synonyms of banal include trite, commonplace, conventional, humdrum, hackneyed, shopworn, stereotyped, insipid, vapid, and bromidic, which means like a bromide, a statement or idea that is stale and dull. - Antonyms of banal include creative, imaginative, unconventional, unorthodox, ingenious, innovative, novel, and pithy. - Banal, which came into English from French in the mid‑eighteenth century, originally referred to the facilities shared in common by the serfs and tenants of a feudal manor—such as the mill, the ovens, and the wine‑press. In this now obsolete sense, banal meant "shared by all; used by the whole community." From this notion of commonality, banal soon came to be used as a synonym of common in its sense of ordinary and unoriginal. Today banal is used of anything that is flat, dull, and predictable, that lacks freshness or zest: a television show, a song, a book, a movie, a remark, a conversation, a desire, a relationship, and even a person can be described as banal. When you consider how many things in this world are dull, ordinary, and unoriginal, banal suddenly becomes a useful word to add to your vocabulary. - Most educated American speakers pronounce banal either BAY‑nal or buh‑NAL. The variant buh‑NAHL, the British preference, is less frequently heard in American speech. The variant BAN‑ul, preferred by several older authorities, is nearly obsolete. - The corresponding noun is banality, which means the quality or state of being common, ordinary, and unoriginal, as the banality of prime‑time TV, or the banality of workaday life.

EQUANIMITY

Composure, calmness, evenness of mind and temper. - Equanimity comes through French from the Latin aequanimitas, calmness, which in turn comes from aequus, which means "even" or "level," and animus, which means "mind" or "spirit." By derivation equanimity means precisely what it does today: composure, calmness, evenness of mind and temper. - Synonyms of equanimity include poise, self‑possession, serenity, tranquility, placidity, imperturbability, and sang‑froid. As I imagine you can tell from its peculiar spelling and pronunciation, sang‑froid comes from French. - Although sang‑froid means literally "cold blood," it is used figuratively to mean coolness of mind. - Equanimity and composure are close synonyms, but they differ slightly in their use. Composure implies self‑control. We maintain our composure under trying circumstances. Equanimity suggests an inherent mental and emotional balance, and applies to a person who stays calm and collected under all circumstances.

SOLICITOUS

Concerned, showing care and attention, especially in a worried, anxious, or fearful way. - Solicitous suggests great concern, usually displayed by thoughtful care or hovering attention. In this sense solicitous may be followed by the prepositions of, for, or about: one may be solicitous about the outcome of an event, solicitous of a child, or solicitous for the welfare of another. - Solicitous may also be used to mean eager, full of desire, willing. In this slightly different sense it is followed by the preposition to and still conveys anxious concern: solicitous to gain the advantage; solicitous to know the results of the election; solicitous to go ahead with the plan.

SALIENT

Conspicuous, noticeable, prominent; sticking or jutting out. - Synonyms of salient include protruding, manifest, obtrusive, and protuberant. Antonyms include inconspicuous, unassuming, unobtrusive, indiscernible, and unostentatious. - Salient comes from the Latin verb salire, to leap, jump, spring. That which is salient seems to leap out at you, jump into view, or spring forward to command your attention. People often have salient noses or other salient physical features. A salient characteristic is a person's most conspicuous or noticeable characteristic. A salient wit is forceful and prominent. - Salient may apply to things that are attractive or unattractive. Salient beauty and salient ugliness are both striking and conspicuous; they leap out at you with equal force.

EGREGIOUS

Conspicuously bad, remarkable or outstanding for some undesirable or offensive quality. - Synonyms of egregious include flagrant, outrageous, excessive, shocking, gross, monstrous, notorious, grievous, and arrant. - Egregious comes from the Latin egregius, not of the common herd, and therefore select or outstanding. Egregious was once used to mean outstanding or remarkable, but this sense is long obsolete, and for at least three hundred years the word has most often been used to mean outstanding or remarkable in a bad way, conspicuously bad, offensive, or undesirable. - When you think of how many remarkably bad things there are in the world, it's surprising that egregious isn't used more often. Here are a few possible applications: an egregious crime, an egregious lie, an egregious insult, an egregious fool, an egregious oversight, an egregious mistake, and an egregious breach of human rights.

INCESSANT

Constant, uninterrupted, continuous, unceasing. - Incessant combines the privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," with the Latin cessare, to stop, cease, and means literally not ceasing, never‑ending. - Synonyms of incessant include interminable, relentless, and unremitting. Antonyms of incessant include occasional, irregular, intermittent, incidental, sporadic, fitful, and erratic. - Dictionaries often list the words continuous and continual as synonyms, and today many educated speakers use them interchangeably. They are not interchangeable, however, and the ability to distinguish continual and continuous precisely is one sign of a careful user of the language. - Continual means happening again and again at short intervals. We speak of continual reminders, continual attempts, continual laughter, or the continual ringing of the telephone. Continuous means uninterrupted or unbroken. We speak of continuous noise, continuous rain, a continuous effort, or the continuous rotation of the earth. - Continuous and incessant are close synonyms. The Century Dictionary explains that "continuous means unbroken, and is passive; incessant means unceasing, and is active." On one level that distinction is simple: we say a railroad track or telephone cable is continuous, not incessant, because tracks and cables are inactive. But on another level the distinction can be quite subtle and subjective. For example, we may say that a fever is continuous or incessant depending on whether we perceive it as a state or an activity. Similarly, the flow of a waterfall is continuous if viewed as a passive condition of a bucolic scene; it is incessant if looked upon as an active condition within that scene. The bland background music we typically hear in elevators, restaurants, and waiting rooms is continuous to those who don't mind it; but to those who are distracted or irritated by it, it's incessant, unceasing, constant, never‑ending.

REBUFF

To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn. - In colloquial terms—that is, in informal, conversational language—rebuff means to give the cold shoulder to, slam the door on, nix. A rebuff is an abrupt refusal or rejection, especially of a request, an offer to help, or a person making advances. To rebuff means to refuse or reject bluntly.

VENAL

Corruptible, bribable, capable of being bribed or bought off, able to be obtained for a price. - Venal and mercenary are close in meaning. - Mercenary means done for payment only, motivated by greed or a desire for personal gain: "A mercenary writer writes not for love but for the money"; "When Jim discovered that Alice had three ex‑husbands who were all affluent plastic surgeons like him, he concluded that her interest in him was mercenary and called off their engagement." - Venal comes from the Latin venalis, for sale, and means literally able to be sold. The word is used today to mean able to be bribed, corrupted, or bought off, or characterized by corrupt, mercenary dealings. A venal judge is corrupt, capable of being bribed; a venal politician is corruptible, able to be influenced by money or favors; a venal administration or a venal business deal is riddled with corruption and bribery. - The corresponding noun is venality, a venal state or act. - Venal and venial are often confused. Venial comes from the Latin venia, grace, indulgence, and means excusable, forgivable, minor, as a venial sin, a venial offense, or a venial error. Venal means corruptible, capable of being bribed or bought off.

MYRIAD

Countless, innumerable, infinite, consisting of a great or indefinite number. - Originally, the noun a myriad specified ten thousand; in ancient Greece a myriad was a military division composed of ten thousand soldiers. Today the noun myriad is most often used to mean a great or indefinite number, as a myriad of troubles, a myriad of details to attend to. - The adjective myriad means countless, innumerable, infinite, consisting of a great or indefinite number. "On a clear night you can see myriad stars twinkling in the sky"; "A chief executive officer has myriad responsibilities."

PUSILLANIMOUS

Cowardly, lacking courage, timid, fainthearted, irresolute. - Pusillanimous is used of cowardly persons or actions that are especially ignoble or contemptible: a pusillanimous deserter of a cause; a pusillanimous surrender; a mean‑spirited and pusillanimous leader. The corresponding noun is pusillanimity.

QUOTIDIAN

Daily, recurring every day or pertaining to every day, as a quotidian ritual; a quotidian record of events; a quotidian update or report; the quotidian call to order. - Quotidian, daily, and diurnal are synonyms. - Quotidian comes from the Latin quotidianus, daily, of every day. - Because something that recurs daily soon becomes routine and ordinary, quotidian has also come to mean of an everyday nature, and therefore ordinary, commonplace, trivial: "The first presentation was eloquent, but the second was dull and quotidian." "As he walked he heard the quotidian clamor of the marketplace, where money is forever changing hands."

PERNICIOUS

Deadly, fatal, destructive, causing great harm or injury. - Synonyms of pernicious include injurious, ruinous, deleterious, noxious, baneful, malign, and noisome. Antonyms include healthful, wholesome, salutary, and salubrious. - Pernicious comes through the Latin perniciosus, destructive, ruinous, and pernicies, destruction, disaster, ultimately from nex, which means a violent death. By derivation, that which is pernicious leads to destruction, ruin, or death. - In modern usage pernicious suggests an insidious, evil, or corrupting influence that harms or destroys by undermining and weakening. The disease called pernicious anemia weakens the body's ability to absorb vitamin B12. A pernicious influence is a deleterious, corrupting, or deadly influence. A pernicious habit is a harmful and potentially fatal habit. A pernicious rumor is insidious or evil. And a pernicious practice is destructive; it undermines the good intentions of others or corrupts society.

DUPLICITY

Deceit, cunning, double‑dealing, hypocritical deception. - Synonyms of duplicity include trickery, dishonesty, fraud, guile, chicanery, casuistry, and mendacity. - The noun duplicity comes through the Latin duplicitas, doubleness, and duplicare, to double, ultimately from duplex, twofold, double. Literally, duplicity means doubleness of heart or speech; in modern usage it refers to double‑dealing, an act of deception in which one uses hypocritical or misleading words or actions to hide one's true intentions: "Steve was astounded at the duplicity of some of the salespeople, who seemed willing to say anything to close a deal." - The corresponding adjective is duplicitous, which means two‑faced, deceitful. The duplicitous person pretends to entertain one set of feelings while acting under the influence of another.

SOPHISTRY

Deceptive reasoning, subtle and misleading argument: "Voters today want candidates who address the issues, not ones who engage in mudslinging and sophistry." - Sophistry comes ultimately from the Greek sophos, clever, wise, the source also of the word sophisticated. The corresponding adjective is sophistic or sophistical. - In ancient Greece, the Sophists were teachers of rhetoric, politics, and philosophy who were notorious for their deceptive and oversubtle method of argumentation. The Sophists eventually came into contempt for accepting payment for their instruction. The word sophistry retains the stigma imputed to the clever Sophists so long ago. Today sophistry refers to speech or writing that is clever and plausible but marred by false or deceptive reasoning.

TENABLE

Defensible, reasonable; able to be defended, maintained, or upheld. - Tenable comes from the Latin tenere, to hold, grasp. From the same source come the unusual noun tenaculum, a pointed, hooked instrument used in surgery for lifting and holding parts, such as blood vessels, and the useful adjective tenacious, which means holding firmly, as a tenacious grip or a tenacious memory. - Tenable means defensible, able to be maintained or upheld. The logic behind a course of action may be tenable, defensible, or untenable, indefensible. The legislature may pass a tenable law, one that can be upheld in the courts, or an untenable law, one that will be struck down. A tenable reason is a reason that can be defended, maintained, or upheld.

ABJECT

Degraded, brought low in condition or status; hence, lacking self‑respect, contemptible, wretched. - The corresponding noun is abjection, a degraded, wretched, contemptible state. - Synonyms of abject include debased, despicable, ignoble, groveling, servile, and squalid. Antonyms of abject include noble, dignified, lofty, majestic, eminent, and illustrious. - In Middle English abject meant "outcast." The word comes ultimately from the Latin ab, meaning "away" or "off," and the verb jacere, to throw, and means literally "thrown away, cast off." The abject members of society are the outcasts, the undesirables, and the indigent—the people who have been thrown away or cast off because they seem to have no social place or worth. - This literal sense of thrown away or cast off led to the modern meaning of abject: brought low in condition or status— hence, degraded, wretched, or contemptible. - Abject poverty is utterly wretched poverty. Abject conditions are hopeless and degrading conditions. An abject coward is thoroughly contemptible. An abject person has fallen so low that he has lost all self‑respect. - If you behave toward someone in an abject manner, you are behaving in a groveling, servile manner, like a defeated dog that bares its neck and belly to the vanquishing dog.

CANTANKEROUS

Difficult to deal with, disagreeable, argumentative, quick to quarrel or to exhibit ill will. - A cantankerous old man is ill‑tempered and disagreeable. Cantankerous relatives are argumentative and hard to get along with. - Cantankerous comes from a Middle English word meaning strife, contention. Synonyms of cantankerous include contentious, which means quarrelsome, prone to argue or dispute; malicious, which means mean‑spirited, nasty, spiteful; and irascible, which means quick‑tempered, easily angered, extremely irritable.

ABSTRUSE

Difficult to understand, hard to grasp mentally, deep, profound, incomprehensible, unfathomable. - Antonyms of abstruse include manifest, discernible, lucid, and perspicuous, which I'll discuss later in this level. - Challenging synonyms of abstruse include inscrutable, esoteric, and also occult, cryptic, enigmatic, arcane, recondite, and acroamatic.

SQUALID

Dirty and run‑down as a result of poverty or neglect, foul or filthy from lack of care, wretched, miserable, degraded. - Synonyms of squalid include seedy, unkempt, slovenly, and dilapidated. - Antonyms include unsullied, immaculate, and pristine. - Squalid is the adjective; the corresponding noun is squalor. Squalor means filthiness, foulness, degradation, a wretched, miserable condition resulting from poverty or neglect. - Squalid comes from the Latin verb squalere, which has various meanings, including to be rough or scaly; to be covered with filth; to be overgrown or dirty from neglect; and to wear mourning clothes. In modern usage squalid has retained a taste of all these senses. Squalid attire is rough and unkempt—or, to use an informal term, grungy. Squalid language is filthy or foul. A squalid neighborhood is slummy, dilapidated, dirty and run‑down from neglect. And just as a person in mourning is sad and forlorn, squalid people or squalid conditions are wretched and miserable because they are poor, degraded, and pitiable. - The adjectives squalid and sordid are close in meaning. Both words mean dirty, filthy, and run‑down, but squalid applies to that which is dirty and miserable because of poverty or neglect, while sordid suggests a filthy wretchedness resulting from a degraded or debased character.

DISSIDENT

Disagreeing, disaffected, dissenting, nonconformist. - Dissident comes from the Latin dis‑, apart, and sedere, to sit, and by derivation means to sit apart; hence, to withdraw one's approval or belief, disagree. - The noun a dissident refers to a person who disagrees with a prevailing opinion, method, or doctrine. The word is commonly used today in politics and journalism of someone who opposes the policies and practices of his government. The adjective dissident refers to the nonconforming and disaffected attitude of the dissident. A dissident opinion expresses disagreement; it does not conform to accepted opinion. Dissident activities are activities undertaken in opposition to a prevailing doctrine or authority.

FLIPPANT

Disrespectful in a frivolous way, treating something serious in a trivial manner. - Flippant refers to speech or writing that trivializes or makes fun of something that deserves respect. Flippant language is inappropriately lighthearted or disrespectful: "Everyone at the meeting gasped when Harry made a flippant remark about the board of directors." - Although flippant expression generally causes dismay or offense, occasionally it may be humorous, depending on your point of view. For example, many talk show hosts today are adept at making flippant comments to dismiss guests or callers with opposing points of view. - Synonyms of flippant include cheeky, fresh, thoughtless, and impertinent. Antonyms include solemn, sober, sedate, and grave.

WIZENED

Dried up, shriveled, withered, shrunken and wrinkled. - The verbs to wither, to shrivel, and to wizen all imply drying up. - Webster's New World Dictionary, second college edition, explains that wither suggests a loss of natural juices: "The grapes were left to wither on the vine." Shrivel suggests shrinking and curling as from exposure to intense heat: "With a heavy sigh, Scott removed the shriveled steak from the barbecue." Wizen suggests shrinking and wrinkling from advanced age or malnutrition. - Although the verb to wizen now is somewhat rare, its past participle, wizened, is still often used of persons or parts of the body to mean shrunken and wrinkled, dried up by age or disease: An old person's face may be wizened, or someone's body may be wizened by cancer. - Here is a passage from my vocabulary‑building mystery novel, Tooth and Nail, in which the context attempts to illustrate the meaning of wizened: "An ancient, wizened man shuffled into the room, supporting his stooped and shriveled frame with a stout oaken staff...His face was sallow and deeply wrinkled; his cheeks were sunken and his crown was entirely bald. But for his eyes, which twinkled roguishly, he was a picture of death."

PROSAIC

Dull, ordinary, uninteresting, unimaginative. - Synonyms of prosaic include commonplace, humdrum, tedious, dry, stale, mediocre, and matter‑of‑fact. And those are only the prosaic synonyms of prosaic. More difficult and interesting synonyms include insipid, which means tasteless, bland; pedestrian; vapid, word 37 of Level 8; and jejune, word 1 of Level 10. - Prosaic may be used literally to mean consisting of prose or of the nature of prose, as opposed to poetry. Because poetry is considered lovely and lyrical and prose is considered uninteresting and unimaginative, prosaic has come to be used figuratively to mean dull and ordinary. Today prosaic is most often used in this figurative sense. A prosaic performance is mediocre; a prosaic style is dry and stale; a prosaic explanation is humdrum, tedious, or matter‑ of‑fact.

IRASCIBLE

Easily angered, hot‑tempered, extremely irritable or touchy. - Synonyms of irascible include cranky, testy, peevish, petulant, irate, cantankerous, contentious, snappish, choleric, captious, and splenetic. - Antonyms include calm, unruffled, placid, amiable, affable, and equable. - Irascible and irate both come from the Latin verb irasci, to be angry, which comes in turn from ira, anger, wrath. This Latin ira is also the direct source of the English word ire. - A person who is full of ire, anger, may be either irate or irascible. - Webster's New International Dictionary, second edition, explains that an irate person "is at the moment angry or incensed"; an irascible person "is by temperament prone to anger." Thus, when something infuriates you, you are seized by ire, anger, and you become irate, temporarily enraged. However, if ire burns within you constantly, if you are by nature easily provoked to anger, then you are irascible. Irascible may also apply to that which displays anger or extreme irritability: - "Steve put up with Randy's incessant stream of irascible remarks for as long as he could, but eventually enough was enough, and he became irate."

GULLIBLE

Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated. - A more difficult synonym of gullible is credulous. - Credulous comes from the Latin credere, to believe, and means inclined to believe, willing to accept something as true without questioning. - To gull is to take advantage of someone who is foolish, unwary, or inexperienced. The gullible person is easily gulled, fooled, cheated. To dupe and to gull both mean to take advantage of. Dupe suggests unwariness on the part of the victim; gull suggests a willingness or readiness to be deceived.

FACILE

Easy, easily done; performed or achieved in an easy, effortless way; working or acting in a smooth, free, and unrestrained manner. - Synonyms of facile include quick, ready, fluent, nimble, dexterous, expert, and adroit. - Antonyms of facile include difficult, awkward, unwieldy, laborious, irksome, obstinate, onerous, intractable, and refractory. - The adjective facile, the noun facility, and the verb to facilitate all come through the Latin facilis, meaning "easy to do," from the verb facere, which means "to make" or "to do." All three words suggest ease of performance or action. - Facilitate means to make easier, help along, as "She was hired to facilitate the project." When using facilitate, remember that the word applies to an action or operation, not to the performer of it. Installing new production equipment will not facilitate the workers on an assembly line; it will facilitate assembly of the product. - The noun facility means dexterity, aptitude, ease of movement or action. - The word usually suggests a practiced ability to do something with quick, skillful ease: he plays the piano with facility; her facility in handling a tricky situation; an impressive facility with words. - Our keyword, facile, is often used of speech or the mind to mean able to perform quickly and smoothly, as "a facile wit," or "a facile tongue." Facile is now often used in a negative sense to mean done or arrived at too easily, without sufficient care or effort: a facile answer is smooth and easy to the point of being glib; a facile solution is simplistic or superficial. - In Modern English Usage, the classic guide by H. W. Fowler, first published in 1926, Fowler notes that the value of facile "as a synonym for easy or fluent or [dexterous] lies chiefly in its depreciatory implication. A facile speaker or writer is one who needs to expend little pains. A facile triumph or victory is easily won."

EFFICACY

Effectiveness; the power to produce a desired effect or result. - Efficacy applies to things that have the power to produce an intended effect. We speak of the efficacy of a drug, a scientific method, or an advertising campaign. The corresponding adjective is efficacious, which means effective, capable of producing a desired effect or result, as an efficacious law, an efficacious policy, or an efficacious marketing plan.

TANTAMOUNT

Equivalent; having equal force, effect, or value. - Tantamount comes from an Anglo‑French phrase meaning "to amount to as much, be equal to," and ultimately from the Latin tantus, which means "so much" or "so great." In modern usage, when one thing is tantamount to another, it amounts to as much as the other, adds up to the same thing. - In his Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage, Bergen Evans notes that the words paramount and tantamount "look deceptively alike but they mean very different things. Paramount means supreme in rank, preëminent [now written preeminent, without the dieresis]. - Tantamount means equivalent, as in value, force, effect, or significance. It is usually followed by to. - Tantamount is properly applied to acts and statements but not to material things."

UBIQUITOUS

Existing or seeming to exist everywhere at the same time. - Ubiquitous and nonexistent are antonyms. Synonyms of ubiquitous include ever‑present, universal, pervading, and omnipresent. The corresponding noun is ubiquity, the state of being or seeming to be everywhere at once, omnipresence. - Ubiquitous comes from the Latin ubique, everywhere. Its closest synonym, omnipresent, links the combining form omni‑, meaning "all," with present to mean present in all places at once. - Because few things other than the air we breathe can accurately be described as ubiquitous, existing everywhere at the same time, ubiquitous is often used to mean seeming to exist everywhere at once, extremely widespread. For example, when telephones and televisions first came on the market they were considered novelties and luxury items, but today we see them everywhere, so we could say they are ubiquitous. In George Orwell's classic novel 1984, which depicts the horrors of life in a futuristic totalitarian state, the image of the dictator, Big Brother, and the slogan "Big Brother is watching you" are ubiquitous; they seem to be in all places at once. - Ubiquitous is also often used to achieve an exaggerated effect. For example, a writer might state that the cockroach is a ubiquitous insect, or that graffiti has become ubiquitous in a neighborhood, or that fast‑food restaurant chains are now ubiquitous in our society. And if you ever have the experience of running across a certain person nearly everywhere you go, you could say that person is ubiquitous.

EXTANT

Existing, still in existence, not extinct, not lost or destroyed. - Extant comes from the Latin exstare, to stand out, which comes in turn from ex‑, meaning "out," and stare, to stand. Extant originally meant standing out, but this sense is now archaic, and in modern usage extant means standing out through time, still in existence, not lost or destroyed: - "That law is no longer extant; it's not on the books"; "She was surprised and pleased to find several extant relatives in the village where she was born"; "The only extant writings by this early Greek philosopher may in fact be apocryphal"; "Although Shakespeare's plays have been performed and enjoyed for more than four hundred years, nothing in his handwriting has survived—not one extant manuscript."

FASTIDIOUS

Extremely delicate, sensitive, or particular, especially in matters of taste or behavior; dainty, fussy, finicky, overnice: fastidious table manners; a fastidious dresser; a fastidious worker who agonizes over every detail of the job. - Fastidious may also mean hard to please, extremely picky or demanding, exacting, critical to a fault: a fastidious ear for music; fastidious in one's choice of friends; a fastidious client for whom a good job is never good enough. - Fastidious descends from Latin words meaning squeamish, disgusted, disdainful, and conceited. More than a trace of these unpleasant words remains in the way fastidious is used today. The fastidious person is so excessively concerned with details that he may become squeamish or disgusted if things are not just right. The fastidious person may also be so hard to please, so critical and demanding, that she appears contemptuous of others. According to the great Century Dictionary, "Fastidious almost always means a somewhat proud or haughty particularity; a fastidious person is hard to please, because he objects to minute points or to some point in almost everything." - Scrupulous, meticulous, punctilious, and fastidious all suggest demanding standards and careful attention to every aspect or detail. - Scrupulous means having scruples or principles; hence, rigorously careful and exact about doing what is correct and proper: - "City officials called for a scrupulous investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public funds"; "All employees must follow company regulations scrupulously." - Meticulous is often used today to mean painstaking, taking pains to attend to details or exercise care, as in "The report showed meticulous research," or "Doctors must wash their hands meticulously before examining patients." Bear in mind, however, that meticulous comes through the Latin meticulosus, timid, from metus, fear, and by derivation properly suggests exaggerated attention to details or unimportant matters out of nervousness or timidity: "Albert dressed for the interview with meticulous care, all the while reminding himself that making a good first impression was the key to getting the job." - Punctilious comes from the Latin punctum, a point. - From the same Latin punctum comes the English word punctilio, a fine point, nice detail. By derivation, punctilious means exact and often excessive attention to punctilios, to fine points or minute details, especially in observing customs, ceremonies, or procedures: "The new executive director seemed to have Robert's Rules of Order memorized, for she cited chapter and verse as she guided the board through each item on the agenda with a stern and punctilious hand." - Fastidious means having extremely delicate, sensitive, or particular tastes; fussy, picky, or demanding in a condescending way. As Webster's New International Dictionary, second edition, puts it, fastidious suggests "a certain disdainfulness in rejecting what is displeasing to one's taste."

FULL

FLEDGED - (a.) (of persons e.g.) having gained full status; (of a bird) having reached full development with fully grown adult plumage; ready to fly. Other synonims: good, total, replete, full moon, full-of-the-moon, full phase of the moon, wax, wide, wide-cut, entire, broad, fully, to the full

SPURIOUS

False, counterfeit, artificial; not true, authentic, or genuine. - Synonyms of spurious include sham, bogus, phony, fictitious, fabricated, fraudulent, illusory, apocryphal, and supposititious. Antonyms include genuine, authentic, valid, and bona fide. - Spurious by derivation means "false, illegitimate." Spurious was once used to mean of illegitimate birth, bastard, and although dictionaries still list this sense, it is now rare. Since it came into the language about 1600, and most often today, spurious is used to mean false, counterfeit, not authentic or genuine. - Spurious applies to that which is not what it claims or is claimed to be. A spurious document is not authentic or original, and may have been forged; spurious gems are counterfeit, not real or genuine; spurious statements are fabricated, made up; spurious feelings are affected or artificial; and a spurious charge is false, trumped‑up, and should be repudiated.

FALLACIOUS

False, misleading, deceptive, invalid, based on a fallacy. - Synonyms of fallacious include erroneous, spurious, untenable, illusory, and sophistical. - The noun fallacy means a false or misleading idea, statement, or argument. Fallacy and sophistry are close in meaning. A fallacy is a misleading or deceptive argument that violates the laws of reasoning. Sophistry refers to reasoning that deliberately uses fallacies, misleading arguments, to confuse or deceive. - Both fallacy and the adjective fallacious come from the Latin fallere, to deceive, lead astray. That which is fallacious is based on a fallacy, and is therefore misleading, deceptive, false. To the skeptical person, all statements, assumptions, and notions are fallacious until clearly proved otherwise.

CONVERSANT

Familiar, acquainted, well‑informed or well‑versed. - Conversant comes from the Latin conversari, to associate with, the source also of the verb to converse and the noun conversation. When you are conversant with something you have had a conversation with it; you have associated with it, and therefore you are familiar or well acquainted with it. The person who is conversant with astronomy or folklore or Russian history or the microcomputer industry is well informed and able to speak knowledgeably about the subject. - Conversant and versed are close synonyms. Conversant is usually followed by with; versed is usually followed by in. Versed often suggests the familiarity that comes from experience. You can be versed in the ways of life, versed in the techniques of marketing or public relations, or versed in the culture of a foreign country. Conversant often suggests the familiarity that comes from having studied something or acquired information about it. - You can be conversant with the work of a certain writer, conversant with economics, conversant with modern art, or conversant with current events.

CAPTIOUS

Faultfinding, quick to point out faults or raise trivial objections. - Synonyms of captious include carping, quibbling, caviling, censorious, and querulous. - Critical, carping, and captious all mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," says Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. - Critical, though often used in a negative sense, is in fact a neutral word: - the critical person tries to judge something fairly and objectively by weighing its merits and faults. Strictly speaking, a critical assessment is a fair, impartial assessment, and a critical examination may result in a supportive conclusion. Critical is so often used of harsh or unfavorable judgment, however, that the neutral sense of the word has nearly been lost; it would be nice if we took pains to preserve it. - Carping, says Webster's Ninth, "implies an ill‑natured or perverse picking of flaws." Captious, which comes from the Latin captus, the past participle of the verb capere, to take or seize, "suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds." - Here's an idea: The next time you find yourself about to use critical in a negative sense, how about giving carping or captious a try instead?

QUIXOTIC

Foolishly impractical or idealistic, especially in an extravagantly chivalrous or romantic way; inclined to pursue lofty, unreachable goals or far‑fetched, unworkable schemes. - Synonyms of quixotic include fanciful, whimsical, visionary, utopian, impracticable, and chimerical. Antonyms include realistic, practical, pragmatic, and utilitarian. - Quixotic comes from Don Quixote, the hero and title of a seventeenth‑century satirical romance by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is an old man passionately devoted to the ideals of chivalry—fighting evil and rescuing the oppressed. The Don does not realize that his code of honor has become outworn and been replaced with far less lofty, mercenary goals. With his credulous but pragmatic squire, Sancho Panza, he sets forth on a quest to save the world from wickedness. - The world, however, holds only ridicule for the visionary Don, who winds up tilting at windmills and making speeches to the wind. - Today the adjective quixotic refers to a person who is extravagantly idealistic or romantic, like Don Quixote, or to an idea or goal that is so impractical and far‑fetched as to seem foolish.

AUSPICIOUS

Favorable, fortunate, marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune, conducive to success, boding well. - The ancient Romans were, by modern standards, a highly superstitious people who believed in supernatural signs and omens and who often consulted oracles, astrologers, clairvoyants, and soothsayers when they wanted to know what the future held in store for them. One of the most popular fortune‑tellers in ancient times was the auspex, who practiced a form of divination known in Latin as auspicium, which meant the act of predicting the future by observing the flight of birds. - In English, the word auspice means an omen or sign, especially a favorable one. From that sense auspice came to be used in the plural, auspices, to mean protection, guardianship, or sponsorship, as an investigation conducted under the auspices of the government. Both the noun auspice and the adjective auspicious come from the Latin auspicium, which in turn comes from avis, bird, and specere, to look at, observe. By derivation auspicious refers to that which an auspex, or bird‑watcher, has said will have a favorable outcome. - In modern usage auspicious applies to anything marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune. An auspicious debut is a favorable debut, one conducive to future success. When the telephone rings and the caller wants to buy your product or pay for your services, that's an auspicious call, one marked by good fortune. And when you meet someone at a party who later turns out to be an important business contact, that meeting can only be described as auspicious, favorable, fortunate. - The adjectives auspicious and propitious are close in meaning. Propitious by derivation means rushing forward or striving after something—in the vernacular or in colloquial terms, "going for it." In current usage propitious usually refers to favorable conditions or a favorable time for doing something: - fishermen hope for propitious weather; stockbrokers are always looking for the propitious moment to buy or sell. Auspicious means favorable in the sense of boding well, giving indication of success. An auspicious event is one that seems an omen of success, good fortune, or prosperity.

NEPOTISM

Favoritism shown to relatives. - Nepotism comes through French and Italian from the Latin nepos, nepotis, a nephew or grandson. According to the Century Dictionary, "the word was invented [in the seventeenth century] to characterize a propensity of the popes and other high ecclesiastics in the Roman Catholic Church to aggrandize their family by exorbitant grants or favors to nephews or relatives." - In current usage nepotism denotes favoritism shown to any relative, and the word usually applies to situations in business and public life where relatives are shown preference over nonrelatives and receive privileges or positions that they may not necessarily deserve. Thus, if you give your niece money to help her buy a house or persuade a friend to hire your unemployed brother, it's not nepotism. However, when you hire your brother the bricklayer as vice president of your sporting goods company, and when you give your niece—the high‑school dropout who can't type—a secretarial job and six months later promote her to office manager, those are flagrant acts of nepotism. - The corresponding adjective is nepotistic.

XENOPHOBIA

Fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, or of anything strange or foreign: - "Their xenophobia and temerity led them headlong into war." - Xenophobia entered English at the beginning of the twentieth century. Its antonym, xenomania, an inordinate attachment to anything or anyone foreign, was coined thirty years earlier but is rarely used today. However, xenophilia, which came into the language in the 1950s, is still in good standing; xenophilia means love for or attraction to foreigners, foreign cultures, or foreign customs. - Xenophobia combines the prefix xeno‑, which means alien, strange, with the suffix ‑phobia, which means fear. By derivation, xenophobia is fear of anyone or anything alien or strange. A xenophobe is a person who fears or hates strangers: "An exclusive community filled with vigilant xenophobes who fear any unfamiliar face." The adjective xenophobic means affected with xenophobia: "During times of national crisis, people have a tendency to become hostile and xenophobic." - Many educated speakers—and for some reason, especially the highly educated ones—pronounce xenophobia, xenophobe, and xenophobic with a long e: ZEE‑nophobia, ZEE‑nophobe, and ZEE‑nophobic. These pronunciations were not recognized by dictionaries until the 1980s, and although all current dictionaries now list them, not one lists them first. - So take my advice and ignore those overeducated, innovative mispronouncers, who are probably foreign spies. Take a Zen approach and pronounce these words with a short e. Say ZEN‑ophobia, ZEN‑ophobe, and ZEN‑ophobic.

TRUCULENT

Fierce, ferocious, especially in a brutal, bullying, threatening, or aggressively defiant way. - The corresponding noun is truculence, fierceness, ferocity, brutal aggression. - Synonyms of truculent include pugnacious, belligerent, malevolent, rapacious, and feral. - Antonyms include humane, merciful, compassionate, benevolent, and clement, all of which suggest mercy or mildness, and also timid, demure, diffident, apprehensive, and timorous, all of which suggest shyness or fear. - Truculent descends from Latin words meaning savage, fierce, cruel, or grim. In current usage truculent applies to fierce, savage, or ferocious people or to behavior that is brutal, threatening, bullying, or aggressively defiant: A truculent nation is a hostile, belligerent nation. A truculent look is a pugnacious or threatening look. A truculent philosophy of business is a brutal, aggressive, rapacious, winner‑takes‑all philosophy of business. In his Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage, Bergen Evans offers this sentence to illustrate the meaning of truculent: "One of my superiors was a truculent fellow who would have loved being a storm trooper under Hitler." - Truculent is now also used of speech or writing to mean scathing, vicious, or vitriolic, as a truculent retort, a truculent editorial, or a truculent political advertisement.

RESOLUTE

Firmly determined or settled, resolved, having a set opinion or purpose, steadfast, unwavering, persevering. - Resolute comes from the Latin resolvere, the source also of the verb to resolve, which means to decide, determine, settle once and for all: "After much debate, the board of directors resolved to go ahead with the five‑year plan." "The lawyers tried to resolve the case out of court." Resolute means resolved in one's opinion or purpose: "He was resolute about earning a master's degree and starting a successful business." - Antonyms of resolute include irresolute, unsteady, and vacillating.

INGRATIATING

Flattering, attempting to win approval or curry favor, trying to gain acceptance, done to charm or please another. - The word unctuous, which was discussed under glib, keyword 8 in this level, is a close synonym of ingratiating. - Ingratiating comes from the Latin in, which means in or into, and gratia, grace. By derivation ingratiating means getting into the good graces of another. - Dictionaries and thesauruses often give charming, pleasing, and agreeable as synonyms of ingratiating, but today the word is rarely used in a positive sense. Invariably it has the negative suggestion of charming in an insincere way, pleasing in an attempt to win approval or curry favor, agreeable so as to get into the good graces of another: "Every time Don walked by the boss's office or passed him in the hallway, he would flash a fake, ingratiating smile. That, and other unctuous gestures, soon made Don's coworkers loathe him."

REDOUBTABLE

Formidable, fearsome, arousing awe or dread; hence, worthy of or commanding respect. - Redoubtable comes through Middle English from an Old French verb meaning to fear or dread, and ultimately from the Latin dubitare, to doubt, waver in opinion or action, the source also of the words dubious, which means doubtful or questionable, and dubiety, which means doubtfulness, uncertainty, wavering. - Perhaps because the things we find dubious or that make us waver are often the same things we find disturbing or frightening, redoubtable has come to apply to that which we fear and respect because we doubt our ability to match, oppose, or overcome it. In modern usage, redoubtable means fearsome, formidable, commanding respect, and may apply either to people or to things. - We speak of the legendary Hercules as a redoubtable hero; of drug abuse as a redoubtable social problem; of AIDS as a redoubtable disease; of the redoubtable genius of Albert Einstein; of a rivalry between two redoubtable football teams; or of small airline companies facing redoubtable competition from the big carriers. - In current usage redoubtable sometimes is used to achieve a humorous, gently mocking effect. For example, back when Johnny Carson was host of "The Tonight Show," on which the actress Shelley Winters was a frequent guest, I remember Carson once cut to a commercial with this quip: "Don't go away, because we'll be right back with the redoubtable Shelley Winters."

GRATUITOUS

Free, given without charge or obligation; also, without legitimate cause or reason, uncalled‑for, unjustified, baseless, unwarranted. - Gratuitous comes from the Latin gratuitus, meaning not paid for, unprovoked, or spontaneous. Related English words include the adjective gratis, which means free, without charge, and the noun a gratuity, a gift or favor given in return for a service. After dining in a fancy restaurant, you leave the waiter a gratuity; after eating in a greasy spoon, you leave the server a tip. - In modern usage, gratuitous may be used to mean either given without charge or obligation, or given without legitimate cause or reason. - When your boss gives you an unexpected pay raise, it's a gratuitous blessing; if a friend offers you a free pair of tickets to a ballgame, they're gratuitous. On the other hand, a gratuitous remark or gesture is not given freely; it's uncalled‑for, unwarranted. Likewise, a gratuitous assumption is baseless, and a gratuitous criticism is unjustified. - Whenever you see or hear gratuitous used, be sure to consider the context carefully to determine in which sense you should construe the word. - I shall conclude this discussion by offering you some gratuitous advice on usage. After you hear it, you may decide whether it was gratuitous in the sense of "given freely" or gratuitous in the sense of "unjustified, uncalled‑for." - Have you ever received a "free gift" or been given something "for free"? - Of course you have, but are you also aware that when you accepted that "free gift" or that whatnot "for free," you acquiesced in two of the most preposterous redundancies in the English language? - Think about it for a moment. A gift is something given free, a present. You wouldn't say a "free present," would you? That would sound ridiculous, which it is. Similarly, "free gift" is ridiculous because the phrase literally means "something given free without charge." So why do so many people insist on saying "free gift" when a gift already is free? - I'll tell you why: because for years marauding hordes of advertising copywriters and marketers have assaulted us with this redundant phrase in every sleazy, gratuitous pitch they make on radio or television or drop into our mailboxes, until our brains are so saturated with it that we can't look a gift horse in the mouth without calling it free. That, in a word, is mind control. - The question now is, Shall we continue to let ourselves be subjugated by the mind‑numbing mannikins of Madison Avenue, or shall we strike a blow for freedom in our own writing and speech by striking free from the redundant "free gift"? - I hope you will consider that question the next time someone offers you "something free for nothing." - Likewise with the phrase "for free" used to mean "for nothing." William Safire, the columnist on language for The New York Times Magazine, calls "for free" a joculism, which he defines as "a word or phrase intended to be an amusing error that is taken up as accurate by the unwary." Safire posits that this joculism arose from a joke line from the 1930s: "I'll give it to you free for nothing." Just as irregardless began as a jocular play on the words irrespective and regardless and then weaseled its way into the speech of those who didn't realize irregardless was a joke and not a legitimate word, so did the joke‑phrase "for free" mutate from a facetious usage into a widely accepted one. - Everywhere you turn today you hear educated speakers saying "I'll give it to you for free" or "Only a fool works for free" without giving a second thought to the fact that, as Safire puts it, "something is either free or for nothing—not both." To that I would add that if the pure and simple word free by itself doesn't satisfy your verbal appetite and you yearn for something more verbose, then use the formal "without charge," the trendy "cost‑free," or the emphatic "at no cost to you." - So remember, my verbally advantaged friend, that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and there's no such thing as a "free gift," because nothing in this world is "for free." When it comes to language, one word is almost always better than two, even when they're free, without charge, and at no cost to you.

REPLETE

Fully or richly supplied, well‑stocked, chock‑full, filled to capacity. - Synonyms of replete include stuffed, crammed, gorged, abounding, brimming, teeming, laden, and surfeited. - Replete comes from the Latin replere, to refill, fill again, from re‑, meaning "again," and plere, to fill. From the Latin plere, to fill, and the adjective plenus, full, come the familiar English words plenty and plentiful, and the more challenging words plenitude, an abundance, ample amount, and plenary, which means full or complete in all respects. Plenary powers are complete powers; a plenary session of Congress is a fully attended session of Congress. - Our keyword, replete, by derivation means filled to capacity, well‑stocked, abounding. A river may be replete with fish; a house may be replete with furniture; a conversation may be replete with humor; a book may be replete with insight; a mind may be replete with wisdom; and a life may be replete with experience. Verbal Advantage, of course, is replete with words. - The words replete and fraught are close in meaning but are used in different ways. - Fraught comes from Middle English and Middle Dutch words meaning "loaded, freighted, full of cargo." By derivation fraught suggests carrying a heavy load. That which is fraught is burdened or weighted down: a situation may be fraught with danger; a person's face may be fraught with worry; a life may be fraught with pain and suffering. Fraught suggests great weight or emotional intensity, and is usually used of that which is burdensome or distressful. Replete, on the other hand, suggests great volume or mass, and may be used of any abundant supply. A train overflowing with passengers is replete with passengers, not fraught with them, but a relationship full of conflict is fraught with conflict, not replete with it. - Recently, replete has come to be used to mean complete. The words are not synonymous or interchangeable. Complete means lacking nothing, having all necessary elements, ingredients, or parts. Replete means well‑stocked, fully or richly supplied. A multivitamin may come complete with all the minimum daily requirements. When your body absorbs those vitamins, it is replete with them.

OLIGARCHY

Government by a few; rule or control exercised by a few persons or by a small, elite group. - Oligarchy comes from the Greek oligos, few, little, and archein, to govern, rule, and by derivation means "government by the few." Oligarchy may denote rule or control exercised by a few people, a state or an organization run by a few people, or the few dominant people themselves, and the word often suggests the hoarding of power for corrupt or selfish purposes. Thus we speak of an oligarchy within organized crime; an oligarchy of the rich; or the oligarchy of the former Soviet Union. - For the corresponding adjective, both oligarchic and oligarchical are acceptable. - Here's a pronunciation tip: You may hear some speakers pronounce oligarchy with a long o: OH‑ligarchy. This recent variant is listed second in two current dictionaries; all other authorities, past and present, do not recognize it. Properly, the initial o is short, as in olive and college.

MUNIFICENCE

Great generosity, lavish giving. - Synonyms of munificence include philanthropy, liberality, benevolence, bountifulness, bounteousness, beneficence, and largess, traditionally pronounced LAHR‑jis but now more often pronounced lahr‑JES. Either way, the g in largess should be said like the g in large. Do not soften or Frenchify the g and say lahr‑ZHES; this particular affectation is regrettably popular today. The word is sometimes spelled largesse, after the French, but the preferred spelling is largess, without a final e. - Antonyms of munificence include stinginess, miserliness, close‑fistedness, penuriousness, and parsimony. We will discuss the noun parsimony and the adjective parsimonious in the next set of keywords in this level. - The noun munificence and the corresponding adjective munificent come through the Latin munificus, generous, liberal, bountiful, from munus, a gift, present, or favor. Munificent means characterized by great generosity, as a munificent donation. The noun munificence suggests liberal or lavish giving, and may refer to the generous giving of money, favors, or hospitality.

CUPIDITY

Greed, a strong desire for wealth or material things. - Synonyms of cupidity include avarice, acquisitiveness, covetousness, and venality. - Cupidity comes from the Latin cupidus, which meant desirous, longing, eager, and also eager for power or money, avaricious. The corresponding Latin noun cupido, which means "desire," is the source of Cupid, the cherubic god of love in Roman mythology, usually represented as a baby or chubby young boy with wings and a bow and arrow. Although Cupid and the English noun cupidity are related etymologically, in modern usage cupidity does not denote love or desire but rather an excessive love of money, a strong desire for wealth or material things.

MERCENARY

Greedy, done for payment only, motivated by a selfish desire for money or other reward. Synonyms include covetous and avaricious, which are discussed in word 40 of Level 2. - Mercenary is also close in meaning to the challenging word venal. Venal means corruptible, capable of being bribed or bought off: - a venal social climber; a venal politician. - The noun a mercenary denotes a hired soldier, one who fights not for a cause or for love of country but for money. The adjective mercenary means done for payment only, motivated by greed: "Harry's interest in the deal was strictly mercenary."

MNEMONIC

Helping or pertaining to the memory, assisting or improving the ability to recall. - The odd spelling of mnemonic, with its initial mn, comes from Greek. - Ultimately, mnemonic comes from a Greek verb meaning to remember, and by derivation means "mindful." In Greek mythology, Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory and the mother of the nine Muses who preside over literature, the arts, and the sciences. - The adjective mnemonic means assisting or pertaining to the memory. A mnemonic device is a memory aid, something that helps one to remember. - For example, the old rhyme, "Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November" is a mnemonic device for remembering the number of days in a given month. The term mnemonics refers to any technique or system for improving the memory. - Now, if you can remember all that, you're doing well.

INSATIABLE

Greedy, hungry, unable to be satisfied or appeased. - Synonyms of insatiable include ravenous, voracious, unquenchable, and unappeasable. The direct antonym is satiable, capable of being satisfied. - From the Latin satis, which means "enough, sufficient," English has inherited the antonyms insatiable and satiable, the verbs to satisfy and to satiate, and the challenging noun satiety. - To satiate means to satisfy completely or somewhat to excess. When you fill your hungry belly with a hearty meal, you are satiated with food. If you occasionally feel that Verbal Advantage is stuffing your brain with more words than it can comfortably contain, then you're feeling satiated with words. But don't worry. I don't think you'll reach the point of satiety. The noun satiety means a state of excessive gratification, satisfaction beyond what one normally desires. - Our keyword, insatiable, means incapable of being satiated, not able to achieve satiety, unable to be satisfied or appeased— in short, greedy, hungry, ravenous. - The human animal can be insatiable in many ways. You can have an insatiable appetite for food, or drink, or sex; you can have an insatiable desire to make money or achieve fame; you can have an insatiable hunger for attention; you can have an insatiable longing for the way things were; and you can have an insatiable thirst for knowledge or for learning new words.

AVARICIOUS

Greedy, money‑grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money or property. The corresponding noun is avarice, greed, an inordinate desire for wealth. - Greedy, covetous, and avaricious all apply to people who eagerly want to acquire more than they have or are entitled to have. - Greedy is the general term for an excessive desire for anything. A person can be greedy for approval, greedy for success, or a greedy eater. - Covetous suggests an excessive and sometimes immoral desire for what another person has: "Steve wasn't sure if his neighbor Dave was more covetous of his new sports car or his attractive wife"; "When Anne was promoted to vice president, she could tell that most of her former coworkers in middle management were covetous of her spacious office and impressive salary." - Avaricious implies an excessive and selfish drive to accumulate wealth and valuable possessions, and often suggests an accompanying desire to hoard them: "Any observant person could see plainly that the city was run not by the people or the politicians but by a few avaricious developers who controlled most of the real estate, and a few avaricious bankers who were tight with credit and charged outrageous interest rates."

EFFUSIVE

Gushing, overflowing, overly demonstrative, expressing emotion in an excessive or unrestrained manner. - Synonyms of effusive include exuberant, profuse, ebullient, impassioned, ecstatic, and rhapsodic. - Antonyms of effusive include undemonstrative, reserved, aloof, indifferent, reticent, diffident, taciturn, and laconic. - The adjective effusive and the corresponding noun effusion come through the Latin effusio, a pouring forth, from the verb effundere, to pour out or pour forth. - True to its origin, in modern usage effusion denotes a pouring or gushing forth. The word may be used of a literal gushing, as an effusion of gas or fluid, or it may be used figuratively of an unrestrained emotional outburst in speech or writing. - Effusive is nearly always used figuratively to mean gushing or overflowing with emotion, overly demonstrative, as effusive praise, effusive greetings, an effusive style of writing: "At the dinner party Dan's effusive host couldn't stop telling everyone at the table what a great guy he was."

ASSIDUOUS

Hardworking, industrious; done with persistent, careful, and untiring attention. - Synonyms of assiduous include diligent, painstaking, persevering, unremitting, indefatigable, and sedulous. - Antonyms include lazy, shiftless, indolent, languid, phlegmatic, and otiose. - Assiduous comes from the Latin adsiduus, which means sitting continuously in one place, engaged in an occupation, and ultimately from the verb sedere, to sit down, the source also of the English words sedate and sedentary. By derivation, assiduous means sitting down and working diligently until a job is done. - In modern usage assiduous means done with persistent, careful, and untiring attention, constant in application or effort. We speak of assiduous efforts, an assiduous reader, an assiduous student, or an assiduous worker. - The corresponding noun is assiduousness: "Pamela was delighted that her assiduousness earned her a promotion."

DELETERIOUS

Harmful, destructive, injurious, detrimental; especially, harmful to health or well‑being. - Synonyms of deleterious include ruinous, noxious, pernicious, and malignant. - Antonyms include healthful, advantageous, wholesome, and salutary. - Deleterious comes from a Greek word meaning destructive and may be applied to something that has a detrimental effect upon a person's health or well‑being or to anything harmful or destructive. Smoking is deleterious, harmful to health. A divorce may be deleterious to children, injurious to their psychological well‑being. An impetuous statement may have deleterious consequences. For example, you may daydream about stomping into your boss's office and giving the old pontificating windbag a piece of your verbally advantaged mind, but doing that probably would be deleterious to your career.

IMPETUOUS

Hasty, rash, overeager, acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought: "The impetuous shopper buys on impulse rather than out of necessity"; "A prudent investor is not likely to make impetuous decisions." - The words rash, impulsive, and impetuous all refer to hasty or sudden actions or to people who act first and think later. Rash suggests reckless haste and foolish daring: In the arena of international relations, rash statements can lead to war. Impulsive suggests an ungovernable inner force that drives one to act without thinking: He is an impulsive talker who often puts his foot in his mouth. Impetuous suggests great energy, eagerness, or impatience. Children are often impetuous, prone to act suddenly without thinking. Impetuous behavior in an adult is often considered overemotional or immature. - Antonyms of impetuous include prudent and circumspect. For more on those two words, review the discussion of prudent, keyword 47 in Level 1.

TURBID

Literally, muddy, clouded, roiled, murky, as if from stirred‑up sediment; figuratively, muddled, obscure, confused, not lucid. - Turbid is often used of liquids to mean muddy or clouded from having the sediment stirred up: a turbid river; turbid wine. It may also apply to air that is thick or dark with smoke or mist. Figuratively, turbid means muddled, disturbed, or confused in thought or feeling. - In this figurative sense, turbid sometimes is confused with the words turgid and tumid. - Both turgid and tumid mean swollen, inflated, and both may be used literally or figuratively. However, tumid, perhaps because of its relation to the word tumor, usually is used literally to mean swollen or distended. - Turgid usually is used figuratively of language or style that is inflated, pompous, pretentious, bombastic. - Turbid never suggests swelling or inflation, but rather muddiness, cloudiness, disturbance, or confusion, as in the nineteenth‑century poet Matthew Arnold's line "the turbid ebb and flow of human misery."

ODIOUS

Hateful, detestable, offensive, revolting, arousing strong dislike or aversion. - The English language has a plethora of words that mean hateful or offensive, so odious has many synonyms. Here is a selection of them, ranging from the familiar to the not‑so‑familiar: disgusting, obnoxious, objectionable, disagreeable, contemptible, repellent, repugnant, loathsome, abominable, abhorrent, heinous, opprobrious, flagitious, and last but not least, the thoroughly damning word execrable. By derivation execrable means expressing a curse, and today the word applies to that which is so horrible or wicked that it deserves to be cursed or damned. - Odious comes from the Latin odiosus, hateful, which in turn comes from odium, hatred, the direct source of the English noun odium. - Odium and hatred are synonymous, but odium refers less frequently to hatred directed toward someone or something else and more often to hatred experienced or incurred: "Alan's supervisor was a supercilious, draconian tyrant who did not seem to care that her employees regarded her with odium." - The adjective odious refers either to that which arouses hate, disgust, or displeasure or to that which is regarded as hateful, detestable, or offensive. - An odious remark is extremely unpleasant or offensive; an odious practice is a disagreeable or disgusting practice; an odious person is a person that others find hateful or detestable. - The corresponding noun odiousness means the state or quality of being odious, as the odiousness of the crime. - Be careful to distinguish odious from odorous both in spelling and usage. - Odorous means emitting an odor, having a distinct aroma or smell. Odious means hateful, detestable, revolting. Odorous armpits or odorous garbage may be odious, but there is nothing odious, hateful or offensive, about odorous flowers.

CLAIRVOYANT

Having exceptional powers of perception, unusually clear‑sighted or discerning; specifically, able to see objects or events that others cannot, having extrasensory perception or the power of divination. - Clairvoyant comes through French from the Latin clarus, clear, and videre, to see. By derivation clairvoyant means having the power to see clearly what others cannot. The corresponding noun clairvoyance means exceptional insight or perception, the ability to see things others can't. - Clairvoyant may also be used to mean a person who supposedly possesses the power to see into the future, a medium, soothsayer. - With the advent of modern science, clairvoyance has fallen into disrepute. Yet economists continually attempt to be clairvoyant, and many ordinary people experience occasional clairvoyant moments full of startling, exceptional insight.

HETERODOX

Having or expressing an opinion different from the accepted opinion; not in agreement with established doctrine or belief. - As you may recall from the discussion of heterogeneous, keyword 6 of Level 3, the prefix hetero‑means other, different, unlike: heterosexual means attracted to the other sex; heterogeneous means consisting of different elements or kinds, diverse; and heterodox means having another opinion or different beliefs. - The ‑dox in heterodox comes from the Greek doxa, an opinion, which in turn comes from the verb dokein, to think. From the same source come the rare English words doxy, an opinion or doctrine, especially a religious opinion, and doxastic, which means pertaining to opinion or to the formation of an opinion. I wouldn't expect you to know those unusual words, but you may be familiar with doxology, which combines the Greek doxa, opinion, with the verb legein, to speak. Doxology is used in Christian worship to mean an expression of praise to God, usually in the form of a brief hymn or chant. - The antonym of heterodox is orthodox, agreeing with established opinion, adhering to accepted beliefs. A heterodox custom or a heterodox view goes against the prevailing norm; an orthodox custom or view is considered proper or correct. - The prefix ortho‑ means right, upright, proper, or correct. Ortho‑ appears in a number of useful English words. Orthodontics is the dental specialty of correcting irregularities of the teeth. Orthoscopic means having normal or correct vision. Orthography, which comes from ortho‑, right, correct, and the Greek verb graphein, to write, means correct spelling; an orthographic error is a misspelled word or typographical mistake. Finally, the word orthoepy, which comes from ortho‑ and the Greek epos, meaning "word," refers to the study of the proper pronunciation of words. By the way, did you notice that there are no fewer than three acceptable pronunciations of orthoepy? - It just goes to show you that when it comes to pronunciation, even the experts don't always agree. But that still doesn't mean you should embrace heterodox pronunciations, ones different from those acceptable to most educated speakers. - The adjectives heterodox and heretical both mean having or expressing a controversial opinion or belief, but the words differ in their intensity. Heterodox applies to that which differs in a way that does not necessarily challenge or threaten the norm. Heretical applies to that which differs from the norm in a way perceived as dangerously false, subversive, or evil. - The corresponding noun is heterodoxy, an opinion or belief contrary to what is accepted and established.

SALUBRIOUS

Healthful, wholesome, favorable or conducive to well‑being. - Antonyms of salubrious include insalubrious, deleterious, pernicious, noxious, baneful, malign, and noisome. - Salubrious, salutary, and wholesome all mean good for your health. - Wholesome refers to that which benefits or builds up the body, mind, or spirit, as a wholesome diet, wholesome recreation, or the wholesome effects of building your vocabulary. Salutary refers to that which has, or is intended to have, a corrective or remedial effect upon the health or general condition of someone or something, as salutary advice or a salutary proposal to revitalize the inner city. Salubrious refers to that which is healthful, invigorating, or promotes physical well‑being, as salubrious air, a salubrious climate, or salubrious exercise. - Both salutary and salubrious come from the Latin salus, health. The noun corresponding to salubrious is salubriousness.

ETHEREAL

Heavenly, not earthly; hence, very light, airy, delicate, or refined. - Synonyms of ethereal include celestial, lofty, elevated, tenuous, rarefied, and sublime. - Antonyms include mundane, terrestrial, and sublunary. - In one of its senses, the word ether refers to an imaginary substance that the ancients believed filled the upper regions of space. In this primitive cosmology, ether was the lightest and most subtle of the elements, which included earth, water, and fire. At first the adjective ethereal meant pertaining to the ether, the upper regions of space, and therefore heavenly, celestial: ethereal beings are heavenly beings, creatures or gods that inhabit the upper regions. Out of this notion of elemental intangibility, ethereal came to mean very light, airy, of unearthly delicacy or refinement, as ethereal music, ethereal voices, ethereal beauty, or an ethereal presence or sensation.

ACERBIC

Sour, bitter, and harsh in flavor, tone, or character. - Synonyms of acerbic include tart, caustic, pungent, astringent, acrid, and acidulous. - The direct antonym of acerbic is sweet. - Acerbic comes from a Latin word meaning sour or bitter like unripe fruit. - Acerbic may be used literally to mean sour or bitter tasting, as the lemon is an acerbic fruit. However, the word acidic probably is more often used in this literal sense, and acerbic usually is used figuratively to mean sour, bitter, and harsh in tone or character: An acerbic mood is a sour mood; acerbic words are bitter words; and someone who is acerbic has a harsh, unpleasant personality.

RIBALD

Humorous in a mildly indecent, coarse, or vulgar way. - Here's what three leading American dictionaries have to say about our humorously indecent keyword: The third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary says that ribald implies "vulgar, coarse, off‑color language or behavior that provokes mirth." Merriam‑Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, says that ribald "applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent." And Webster's New World Dictionary, third college edition, says that ribald suggests "mild indecency or lewdness as might bring laughter from those who are not too squeamish," and refers especially to that which deals with sex "in a humorously earthy or direct way." - Ribald has an appropriately earthy etymology. It comes from an Old French noun meaning a lewd or wanton person; this wanton noun comes in turn from an Old French verb meaning to be sexually abandoned; and this loose verb is related to an Old High German word that meant figuratively to copulate and literally to rub. Although Hamlet's oft‑quoted line "Ay, there's the rub" is not a reference to his ribald fantasies about Ophelia, many of Shakespeare's plays contain ribald jokes and puns whose mildly coarse and indecent sexual overtones have provoked laughter from audiences for more than four hundred years. - Synonyms of ribald include gross, indelicate, lewd, immodest, sensual, and obscene. Bear in mind, however, that obscene suggests lewdness or indecency that is strongly offensive, whereas ribald applies to coarse vulgarity that is humorous and only mildly indecent. - Antonyms of ribald include refined, decent, polite, tasteful, cultured, polished, cultivated, decorous, and urbane. - The corresponding noun is ribaldry, which means language or behavior that is humorous in a mildly indecent or vulgar way.

ANIMOSITY

Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred: "There was long‑standing animosity between the two families." "After her coworker apologized for his rude remarks, she resolved not to harbor any animosity toward him." - More difficult synonyms of animosity include malice, aversion, malevolence, antipathy, rancor, and enmity.

CALLOW

Immature, inexperienced, unsophisticated, green, naive, lacking experience in and knowledge of the world. - Callow comes from a Middle English word meaning bald, and the word was formerly used of very young birds to mean without feathers, unfledged. - Today both callow and the word fledgling are used of persons, behavior, or things that are immature or inexperienced. A fledgling is a young bird that has just acquired its feathers and is learning to fly. From that original sense, fledgling has come to refer either to a young and inexperienced person or to something that is just getting off the ground, as a fledgling enterprise. - Callow suggests an immaturity or inexperience manifested by a lack of sophistication. People who are callow know little of the ways of the world; they are green, still wet behind the ears. - Because callow means immature, it sometimes also suggests childishness or foolishness. For example, a callow remark may be not only unsophisticated but also downright silly. Synonyms of callow in this unfavorable sense include juvenile, sophomoric, and puerile.

NONAGE

Immaturity, youth; especially the period of legal minority, the state of being a minor in the eyes of the law. - Nonage comes through Middle English from Anglo‑French, the language of the Normans, who conquered England in 1066. Nonage combines the prefix non‑, meaning "not," with the word age to mean literally "not of age." - Nonage may be used either generally to refer to any period of immaturity, or specifically to mean the state of being a minor. People in their nonage are under the lawful age for doing certain things such as marrying, making contracts, driving a motor vehicle, voting, or buying alcoholic beverages.

IMPERVIOUS

Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to be moved or affected by something. - Synonyms of impervious include impassable, impermeable, and opaque. Antonyms include penetrable, passable, accessible, permeable, translucent, and diaphanous. - An impervious substance cannot be penetrated: certain fabrics are impervious to water; a recording studio must be well insulated and impervious to external noise. If you are impervious to pain, then pain does not penetrate your consciousness. And if your mind is impervious to reason, that means you cannot be moved or affected by any argument, no matter how persuasive.

VARIEGATED

In a broad sense, varied, diverse, showing variety of character or form; in a strict sense, spotted, streaked, or dappled; having marks or patches of different colors, as a variegated quilt, a variegated cat, or a variegated design. - The verb to variegate is now often used figuratively to mean to give variety to, diversify. The adjective variegated is also frequently used in this way to mean varied, diverse, or multifaceted, as variegated interests, a variegated selection, or variegated accomplishments.

IMPALPABLE

Incapable of being felt or understood, not able to be perceived either by the sense of touch or by the mind. - Synonyms of impalpable include untouchable, imperceptible, and intangible. Antonyms include palpable, perceptible, manifest, and tangible. - The adjective palpable means capable of being touched or felt, easily perceived or discerned. Palpable may be used either literally, as a palpable pulse or palpable heat, or figuratively, as a palpable error or palpable desire. - Impalpable combines palpable with the privative prefix im‑, meaning "not," and means not able to be felt or grasped, either with the fingers or by the mind. An impalpable pulse is a sign of heart failure; an impalpable breeze is so faint as to be imperceptible; an impalpable idea is not easily grasped by the mind. - Both palpable and impalpable come from the Latin palpare, to touch or stroke gently, the source also of the verb to palpate. Palpate is used chiefly in medicine to mean to examine or explore by touch, as to palpate a limb or an organ. The corresponding noun is palpation, the act of palpating, examining by touch.

INSCRUTABLE

Incomprehensible, unfathomable, extremely difficult to understand, not open to investigation or analysis. - Synonyms of inscrutable include mysterious, impenetrable, esoteric, arcane, and abstruse. Antonyms include comprehensible, lucid, and perspicuous. - Inscrutable combines the negative prefix in‑, which means not, with the Latin scrutari, to examine, inspect, search thoroughly. Scrutari is also the source of the English words scrutinize, to investigate, examine closely, and scrutiny, a close examination. By derivation inscrutable means incapable of being scrutinized, not able to be examined or investigated. - Anything that cannot be fathomed, that does not open itself readily to the understanding, may be called inscrutable. Many of the workings of nature are inscrutable, even to biologists. Human nature and the functions of the mind are still inscrutable to psychiatrists and neurologists. And even to philosophers and theologians the meaning of life is still—and probably always will be—inscrutable. - Now for some advice on usage: Chances are you've heard inscrutable used in the phrase "an inscrutable smile." That's a cliché, a hackneyed expression. Unless you're trying to be humorous, it's best to avoid it altogether. When you use inscrutable, strive for an original turn of phrase. - And one other word of caution: In the past, perhaps because of the popularity of the fictional characters Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan, the word inscrutable was often applied to Asians or to the Asian race. You should be aware that today this use is considered not only cliché but also derogatory and offensive.

AUTONOMOUS

Independent, self‑governing, not under the control of something or someone else. - Autonomous comes from the Greek autos, self, and nomos, law, and means literally self‑ruling. From the Greek autos, self, comes the English combining form auto‑, which also means self. Auto‑ appears in many English words, including autobiography, a story of oneself, of one's own life; autograph, one's own signature; automobile, literally a self‑moving vehicle; automatic, literally self‑thinking, done without conscious thought; and autocracy, not self‑government but rule by one self or one person—hence, dictatorship, tyranny, despotism. - The corresponding noun autonomy means self‑government, independence. - The heart is an autonomous organ; it functions by itself. An autonomous company is independent, not a subsidiary of another corporation. When the United States won its independence from Great Britain, it became an autonomous nation.

INEFFABLE

Inexpressible, unable to be expressed or described in words. - Synonyms of ineffable include unutterable, unspeakable, and indescribable. - Ineffable comes from the Latin ineffabilis, which means unutterable, not able to be spoken. Once upon a prudish time, when Thomas Bowdler was bowdlerizing Shakespeare and the Bible and Anthony Comstock was committing Comstockery on the U.S. Mail, the more refined members of polite society would call the legs of a piano "limbs" and refer to a man's trousers as "ineffables." My, how times change. Today women also wear trousers, and hardly anything is ineffable, especially on late‑night TV. - Dictionaries note that ineffable may mean too sacred to be spoken, as the ineffable name of a deity or an ineffable curse, but this sense is now infrequent, and in current usage ineffable almost always means inexpressible, unable to be expressed or described in words. - Webster's New International Dictionary, second edition, notes that ineffable usually applies to "good or pleasant things," as ineffable beauty or ineffable joy, but it may occasionally apply to something unpleasant that is inexpressible, as ineffable disgust.

DIDACTIC

Instructive, designed or intended to teach. - Synonyms of didactic include edifying, preceptive, expository, hortatory, and pedagogic. Pedagogic is the adjective corresponding to the noun pedagogue. A pedagogue is a teacher, but today the word is sometimes used disparagingly to mean a teacher who is strict, narrow‑minded, or dogmatic. - The adjective didactic comes from the Greek didaktikos, skillful or adept at teaching. In modern usage didactic means designed or intended to teach. A didactic paradigm is a model or example that serves to instruct. A didactic treatise is an instructive treatise, one that teaches a lesson, principle, or rule of conduct. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that art should be didactic, for one of his famous precepts is that art should "instruct as well as delight." - Didactic often connotes morally instructive or edifying. A great work of fiction may be as didactic as it is entertaining. Sometimes didactic has the negative connotation of inclined to lecture others in a tedious or excessively moralistic way: "The members of the committee soon grew weary of Barney's didactic manner of telling everyone how the organization should be run." - The corresponding noun didactics means the art or science of teaching. - The word pedagogy may also refer to the art or science of teaching, but more often pedagogy means the teaching profession: - "Vince and Janet decided that after they were married they would both pursue careers in pedagogy."

PROXIMITY

Nearness, closeness, the state of being in the vicinity of something. - Proximity may be used either of persons or things to mean nearness in place, time, or relation: the proximity of their houses; the proximity of historic events; the proximity of two ideas. In modern society, marriage between first cousins is forbidden because of their proximity of blood relation. However, if you marry the girl or boy next door, it might be said that proximity was the deciding factor. - You will often hear proximity used in the phrase "close proximity." That is a redundancy. Proximity means closeness, nearness; therefore "close proximity" means "close closeness" or "near nearness." According to the second college edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, "the expression close proximity says nothing that is not said by proximity itself." - Usage tip: Drop close and let proximity do its work alone.

ESOTERIC

Intended for or designed to be understood only by a select group, known only by a few people; hence, not public, secret, confidential. - Synonyms of esoteric include mysterious, impenetrable, inscrutable, cryptic, abstruse, arcane, and recondite. - Antonyms of esoteric include plain, apparent, accessible, manifest, discernible, lucid, and perspicuous. - Esoteric comes from a Greek word meaning "inner," and by derivation means intended for or known only by an inner circle. According to the 1914 edition of the great Century Dictionary, the word esoteric "originally applied to certain writings of Aristotle of a scientific, as opposed to a popular, character, and afterward to the secret...teachings of Pythagoras; hence, [esoteric has come to mean] secret; intended to be communicated only to the initiated." - Because esoteric refers to that which is secret or understood only by a few select people, in recent years the word has come to be used more generally to mean beyond most people's knowledge or understanding, highly complex and difficult to comprehend, as an esoteric theory or the esoteric language of computer programming. - Many educated people now use the word in this more general way, and there is nothing wrong with that—except that I suspect most people who use esoteric today are not aware of the word's original, more specific meaning. Thus, you will have a leg up on them if you keep in mind the precise meaning of esoteric: intended to be communicated only to the initiated. - An esoteric theory is complex and impenetrable because it is designed to be understood only by a select group. An esoteric purpose is secret and mysterious because it is known only by a few chosen people. - The antonym or opposite of esoteric is exoteric. - Exoteric begins with the prefix exo‑, which means "outer, outside." Exoteric means external, popular, of the outside world or open to public view. - Exoteric writing is intended for the world at large; it is communicated to or suitable for the general public. Esoteric writing is intended for an inner circle; it is understood only by a few people.

ANOMALOUS

Irregular, abnormal, out of place; deviating from what is usual or expected; not fitting in with a common type or conforming to a general rule. - Synonyms of anomalous include inconsistent, unnatural, eccentric, and aberrant. - Anomalous comes from Greek and means literally "not the same." Something that is anomalous stands out because it is not the same; it is irregular, abnormal, or out of place: "Compared with the last five years, these statistics are anomalous." "In that neighborhood full of ticky‑tacky houses, the imposing old Victorian mansion was architecturally anomalous." "Sometimes he was reluctant to express his opinion because he thought it would be perceived as anomalous." - The corresponding noun is anomaly, which means a deviation from the norm, an irregularity: "As the only female executive in a company dominated by men, Harriet was an anomaly." "His penchant for flamboyant clothes made him an anomaly in his conservative profession." "If there is no other life in the universe, then our planet is an anomaly."

PEEVISH

Irritable, cross, complaining, fretful, ill‑humored and impatient, difficult to please. - There are peevish moods, peevish remarks, and peevish looks. A peeve is something that irritates or annoys: "Her pet peeve is a wet towel left on the bed." Peevish means irritable, ill‑humored, full of complaints.

INCHOATE

Just begun; in an early stage of development; partly in existence; not fully formed; undeveloped; imperfect; incomplete. - Synonyms of inchoate include elementary, preliminary, nascent, rudimentary, and incipient. - Inchoate comes from the Latin incohatus, just begun, not finished, incomplete; incohatus is the past participle of the verb incohare, to begin, take in hand, start work on. - Since the sixteenth century, when inchoate entered English, the word has been used of that which has just begun or is in an early stage of development, and which is therefore imperfect or incomplete. An inchoate state is an initial, undeveloped state; an inchoate idea is an idea not yet fully formed; an inchoate project is a project that is just getting off the ground.

TRENCHANT

Keen, penetrating, vigorously effective, sharp and to the point. - Synonyms of trenchant include forceful, acute, and incisive. - Incisive applies to expression that gets right to the point or penetrates the heart of the matter. Cutting and biting imply harsh or sarcastic expression that hurts the feelings. Trenchant, which comes from a French verb meaning to cut, suggests both the forcefulness of incisive and the sharp, painful implication of cutting and biting. - A trenchant analysis is keen and vigorous; a trenchant style is sharp and clear; a trenchant remark displays penetrating insight and has the ability to wound.

CLANDESTINE

Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose: a clandestine affair; a clandestine business deal; a clandestine intelligence operation. - Synonyms include private, concealed, covert, underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive, and surreptitious. - Clandestine is sometimes pronounced klan‑DES‑tyn, klan‑DES‑teen, KLAN‑des‑tyn, or KLAN‑des‑teen. You should avoid all these recent variants. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan‑DES‑tin.

BENIGN

Kindly, good‑natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition, as a benign old man, a benign smile, a benign intention, a benign government. - That is the first meaning of benign listed in dictionaries, and probably the most common. The word is also used in several other ways. It may mean favorable, positive, propitious: a benign omen; a benign view. It may be used of the weather or climate to mean healthful, wholesome, salubrious. - And in medicine benign means mild, not deadly or severe, as a benign tumor or disease.

EBULLIENCE

Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement. Synonyms include exuberance, exhilaration, and effervescence. - The words ebullition, ebullient, and ebullience all come from the Latin verb ebullire, to boil, bubble. - The noun ebullition literally means a boiling or bubbling up. It may be used figuratively of an emotional outburst, as "Lisa was delighted with her husband's amorous ebullition on their anniversary." - The adjective ebullient means bubbling with enthusiasm, overflowing with high spirits: "The stadium was packed with thousands of ebullient fans." - The noun ebullience means bubbly enthusiasm, seething excitement, irrepressible exuberance: "When Jack won the lottery, he could not contain his ebullience." - Ebullience and ebullient are often mispronounced. Don't say i‑BOOL‑yints and i‑BOOL‑yint, or i‑BYOO‑lee‑ints and i‑BYOO‑lee‑int. The BOOL and BYOOL sounds are wrong. Also, take care to eschew the sloppy mispronunciations EB‑yuh‑lints and EB‑yuh‑lint, which move the stress to the first syllable. - In ebullience and ebullient, the stress should fall on the second syllable, ‑bul‑, in which the u may have the sound of the u in bulk or bull.

LETHARGY

Lack of energy, sluggishness, dullness, apathy, stupor; an abnormally dull, drowsy, inactive condition or state of mind. - The corresponding adjective is lethargic, which means sluggish, drowsy, dull, apathetic: "Dan always felt lethargic after a big business lunch"; "Whenever we visit the zoo, the bears and the lions seem lethargic"; "Weeks after getting over the flu, Emily still felt lethargic." - According to the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, lethargy "may be caused by factors such as illness, fatigue, or overwork, but it manifests itself in drowsy dullness or apathy." - Apathy and lethargy are close in meaning. Apathy suggests an indifferent state of mind, a thorough lack of emotion or concern: "Analysts predict that voter apathy will result in a low turnout for the election." Lethargy is a prolonged state of dullness, inactivity, or lack of energy, a sluggish condition either of body or of mind: "The Renaissance roused Europe from the intellectual lethargy of the Middle Ages"; "As every college professor knows, nothing can penetrate or cure the lethargy of the college student who has partied too hard the night before." - More difficult synonyms of lethargy include torpor, somnolence, lassitude, languor, and stupefaction.

MONOTONOUS

Lacking variety, tediously uniform, unvarying and dull. - Monotonous means literally having one continuous sound or tone. It combines the word tone with the prefix mono‑, one, single. The prefix mono‑appears in many English words, including monogamy, marriage to one person; monocle, a single eyeglass; and monogram, two or more letters woven into one. - That which is monotonous is boring because it lacks variety. A monotonous speaker says the same thing again and again in the same tone of voice. Monotonous music is dull and repetitive. A monotonous job is one where the routine never changes. The corresponding noun is monotony, a tedious lack of variety.

ERUDITE

Learned, scholarly, possessing extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books. - Erudite comes from the Latin erudire, to instruct, educate, polish, free from roughness or rudeness. The corresponding noun is erudition, extensive knowledge acquired from reading books: "He displayed his erudition with wit and grace." - People and things can both be erudite. For example, erudite professors often write erudite studies of obscure subjects. Reading Verbal Advantage will help you build an erudite vocabulary, which in turn will help you become a more erudite person, someone who possesses a wide store of knowledge. - I should point out that my pronunciation of erudite and erudition is slightly different from most educated speakers. Today most people pronounce these words with a long u: AIR‑yoo‑DYT and AIR‑yoo‑DISH ‑un. The interesting thing is that the speakers who prefer these long‑u pronunciations rarely take pains to preserve the traditional long‑u sound in duty, assume, student, opportunity, or prelude. Yet they have trained themselves to say AIR ‑yoo‑DYT and AIR‑yoo‑DISH‑un presumably because the cultivated sound of the long u complements the meaning of these words. - The long‑u pronunciations of erudite and erudition are not incorrect. In fact, they have been acceptable for several decades and all current dictionaries list them. However, to my hypercritical ear they smack of pseudosophistication, or sham erudition, because they ignore the etymologically significant rude dwelling within these words and illogically transform a short Latin u into a long English u. And so I remain faithful to the older, though now less popular, pronunciations ER‑uh‑DYT and ER‑uh‑ DISH‑un.

VAPID

Lifeless, dull, boring, flat, stale; lacking spirit, interest, or flavor. - Synonyms of vapid include unsavory, insipid, unpalatable, trite, prosaic, pedestrian, and jejune. - Antonyms include lively, vigorous, vivid, animated, robust, vivacious, and emphatic. - Vapid comes from the Latin vapidus, which means spiritless, spoiled, flat. The word has remained true to its Latin root, and in modern usage vapid still applies to that which is lifeless, boring, or stale. Today we speak of vapid conversation, vapid beer, a vapid remark, or a vapid look in a person's eyes.

LEVITY

Lightness or gaiety of manner or expression; specifically, a lightness or lack of seriousness that is inappropriate or unbecoming. - Levity comes from the Latin levitas, lightness, which in turn comes from levis, light, the source also of the familiar words levitate and levitation. - Levity occasionally is used literally to mean buoyancy, the state or quality of having little weight, and it is also sometimes used to mean inconstancy, fickleness, or flightiness. In current usage, however, levity most often denotes a figurative lack of gravity, a lightness or lack of seriousness unsuitable to the occasion. - Synonyms of levity in this most common sense include silliness, foolishness, frivolity, flippancy, tomfoolery, triviality, and jocularity. Antonyms include seriousness, earnestness, sobriety, solemnity, and gravity. - When you are trying to fix a word in your mind and make it a permanent part of your vocabulary, it helps if you can associate it with a vivid image or experience. The experience I associate with the word levity occurred way back in high school, which in my case was a small coeducational boarding school in western Massachussetts. - One night in the dormitory some friends and I were up late, several hours after "bedcheck," our prepschool term for "lights‑out time." We were shooting the breeze, laughing and joking, being loud and boisterous, and generally behaving in a puerile manner, when suddenly the door flew open and one of the English teachers stepped into the room. - Instantly, we all shut up. In the long moment of silence that followed, the teacher looked at each of us like Clint Eastwood trying to decide whether some deadbeat has enough brains to pack his lunch. Finally he spoke. - "This is no time for levity," he growled. "Go to your rooms and go to bed." - To this day, when I think of the word levity I think of what that teacher said, and with a chuckle I remember that levity means foolishness, frivolity, a lightness or lack of seriousness that is inappropriate or unbecoming.

AVUNCULAR

Like an uncle, pertaining to an uncle, or exhibiting some characteristic considered typical of an uncle. - The noun uncle and the adjective avuncular both come from the Latin avunculus, a mother's brother. You may use avuncular to describe some characteristic of your own or someone else's uncle, but the word most often applies to anything suggestive or typical of an uncle. We speak of an avuncular smile, an avuncular slap on the back, avuncular concern, avuncular generosity, and avuncular advice. "I want you for the U.S. Army" is the finger‑pointing, avuncular injunction of Uncle Sam.

LISSOME

Limber, flexible, moving with ease and grace. - Synonyms of lissome include nimble, agile, supple, and lithe. - Lissome, lithe, and limber are close synonyms. Limber suggests moving or bending easily, as limber muscles, or a limber bough. Lithe and lissome suggest moving with nimbleness, agility, and grace; of the two words, lithe is more literal, lissome more poetic. We speak of a lithe runner; a lithe deer; a lissome dancer; a lissome tongue.

MORASS

Literally, a swamp, marsh, bog; figuratively, something that traps, confines, or confuses, a sticky situation or troublesome state of affairs: "There was always a morass of paperwork on his desk"; "She penetrated the morass of red tape at city hall"; "Some people consider middle age the morass of life"; "The project got bogged down in a morass of trivial details."

STRIDENT

Loud and harsh‑sounding, grating, shrill. - Synonyms of strident include earsplitting, screeching, discordant, clamorous, cacophonous, vociferous, and stentorian. - Antonyms include faint, subdued, melodious, dulcet, and euphonious. - Strident comes from the present participle of the Latin verb stridere, to make a harsh noise. Apparently, stridere was a versatile word in Latin, for ancient Roman poets and writers such as Vergil, Lucretius, and Ovid used it to describe many sounds, not all of them harsh: the grating of metal on metal; the whistling of the wind; the scraping or whining of a saw; the creaking of a wagon, a rope, or a hinge on a door; the whirring of a rock or an arrow propelled through the air; the braying of an ass; the trumpeting of elephants; the grunting of a pig; the hiss of a snake; and even the humming of bees. - The words that English has inherited from the Latin stridere are not so versatile, and stick more closely to the core meaning of this ancient verb: to make a harsh noise. For instance, the noun stridor may mean a harsh grating or creaking sound or, in medicine, a harsh sound made when breathing in or out that indicates obstruction of the respiratory tract. The adjective stridulous means making a harsh or shrill noise. - And the verb to stridulate means to make a shrill, high‑pitched grating or chirping sound. Crickets and various other insects stridulate by rubbing certain body parts together. - Our keyword, strident, applies to any sound or noise that is disagreeably loud, harsh, and shrill: a piercing scream, the screeching of brakes, the grinding of gears, the whining of a power tool, the wailing of a baby, or any loud, gruff voice that grates on your ears can be described as strident.

SUPINE

Lying down on the back, with the face turned upward: "He preferred to sleep in a supine position." - Supine, prone, prostrate, and recumbent all mean lying down in various ways. - Supine takes its meaning directly from the Latin supinus, lying on the back with the face up. - From the Latin pronus, leaning forward, we inherit the word prone, which may mean inclined or tending toward something, as in the phrase "prone to error," or it may mean lying on the belly, stretched out face downward: "The dog lay prone on the rug, its chin resting on its paws." - Prostrate means lying flat, stretched out, either prone or supine. Because the word comes from the Latin prosternere, to throw down in front, cast down, in modern usage prostrate denotes lying down flat either as the result of physical or emotional exhaustion, or as an expression of submission, humble adoration, humiliation, or helplessness. - Be careful not to confuse prostrate with prostate, the gland in men that contributes to the production of semen and helps control urination. After age forty, men should have regular checkups for prostate cancer, not prostrate cancer. - Recumbent comes from the Latin recumbere, to lie back, recline. When you are recumbent you are lying down in a comfortable position, usually supine or on your side: The ancient Greeks and Romans assumed a recumbent posture when taking their meals. Visit any art museum and you are likely to see a portrait of a recumbent nude.

IMPROMPTU

Made up or done on the spur of the moment, uttered or performed without preparation, improvised for the occasion. - Synonyms of impromptu include offhand, spontaneous, and extemporaneous. - Impromptu comes from a Latin phrase meaning in readiness, at hand. By derivation, something impromptu lies close at hand, ready to use when the occasion arises. In modern usage impromptu may apply to either spontaneous expression or activity: an impromptu response is an offhand or off‑the‑cuff response; an impromptu performance is improvised for the occasion; an impromptu party is thrown on the spur of the moment. - Here's an image you can associate with the word impromptu that may help you remember what it means: Imagine yourself at a dinner party or wedding reception, chatting amiably with the people around you, when suddenly everyone in the room turns toward you and starts chanting "Speech, speech!" Although you are unprepared, you rise to the occasion and deliver a few urbane remarks. When your audience laughs at the right moment and applauds at the end, you are delighted. Your speech not only was impromptu, it was a triumph.

CLEMENT

Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme; also, merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive. - Clement comes from the Latin clemens, mild, and may be used to mean mild in two ways. You may say the weather is clement when it's mild or temperate; when it's rough or stormy it's inclement, not clement, not mild and calm. Clement's second sense applies to a mild state of mind, one in which the person is inclined to be lenient or forgiving. - A convicted criminal can only hope for a clement judge. If you screw up at work, you hope your boss will be clement, lenient, merciful. - The corresponding noun is clemency, mildness, leniency, compassion: - "The lawyers asked the governor to show clemency and stay the execution."

LUGUBRIOUS

Mournful and gloomy; expressing sadness or sorrow, often in an exaggerated, affected, or ridiculous way. - Synonyms of lugubrious include dismal, melancholy, dreary, funereal, doleful, dolorous, disconsolate, plaintive, woeful, lachrymose, and saturnine. - Antonyms of lugubrious include cheerful, jubilant, joyous, gleeful, mirthful, jovial, and sanguine. - Lugubrious comes ultimately from the Latin lugere, to mourn or lament. - The word was coined about 1600 and was at first merely a grandiloquent synonym for mournful and sorrowful. By the 1800s, however, it had come to suggest mournful, dismal, or gloomy in an exaggerated, affected, or ridiculous way. - According to the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary, the words lugubrious and doleful "have weakened from their original meaning, and are often used with a half‑humorous connotation." For example, lugubrious music is mournful or gloomy to an extreme; the expression "Woe is me" is now a lugubrious cliché; the mournful howling of a dog may be lugubrious; and if the expression on a person's face is lugubrious, it is sad or sorrowful in an affected, almost ludicrous way. The corresponding noun is lugubriousness; the adverb is lugubriously, as "He spoke lugubriously about the company's financial condition."

MAGNANIMOUS

Noble, honorable, generous in overlooking injury or insult, high‑minded, unselfish. - People with an abiding faith in the goodness of human nature believe that we are noble, unselfish, and generous more often than we are ignoble, selfish, and grasping. The English vocabulary, however, suggests otherwise. In a language comprising well over a million words, there is a dearth of synonyms for magnanimous. Chalk up the words noble, honorable, generous, unselfish, and high‑minded, and the list is almost exhausted; if you stretch things a bit you can add courageous, exalted, and lofty for the noble, high‑minded connotation of magnanimous, and charitable, altruistic, and beneficent for the generous, unselfish connotation. - On the other hand, the language abounds with antonyms for magnanimous. Browse through any thesaurus and you will find a cornucopia of these ignoble, selfish words. - Here is a selection of my favorites: vile, contemptible, malicious, despicable, ignominious, covetous, avaricious, mercenary, venal, vindictive, churlish, sordid, abject, servile, sycophantic, and finally, because we can't go on with this forever, we have the utterly ignoble word pusillanimous, which means cowardly, weak, and mean‑spirited. We will discuss pusillanimous further in Level 9. - The noble word magnanimous comes from the Latin magnus, great, and animus, spirit, and means literally great‑spirited. In modern usage magnanimous means having or displaying a noble and generous soul; specifically, showing noble generosity in overlooking injury or insult. It applies either to persons who possess a generous, lofty, and courageous spirit, or to persons or actions that are unselfish, high‑minded, and free from pettiness or vindictiveness. - Noble and magnanimous are close in meaning. According to the Century Dictionary, noble expresses that which "in character and conduct...is appropriate to exalted place," and "admits no degree of the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable." Magnanimous "describes that largeness of mind that has breadth enough and height enough to take in large views, broad sympathies, [and] exalted standards. It generally implies superiority of position: as, a nation so great as the United States...can afford to be magnanimous in its treatment of injuries or affronts from nations comparatively weak." - The corresponding noun is magnanimity, noble generosity, greatness or dignity of mind or heart: "He is a man of such magnanimity that he will do everything in his power to aid a worthy cause, no matter how unpopular it may be."

LAITY

Nonprofessionals, laypeople collectively, all the people outside of a given profession or specialized field. - The adjective lay means nonprofessional, not belonging to a particular profession. A lay opinion of a legal case is an opinion from someone who is not a lawyer or a judge. A lay diagnosis of a disease is a diagnosis proffered by someone who is not a medical professional. - In its original and most precise sense, laity refers to all who do not belong to the clergy, to religious worshipers in general. Today laity may be used either in this way or to mean those who do not belong to a given profession.

INDEFEASIBLE

Not capable of being undone, taken away, annulled, or rendered void. - The words defeasance, defeasible, and indefeasible come down to us through Anglo‑French and Middle English. They were used in Old English law and are chiefly legal terms today. Defeasance is the oldest of the three; it means either the annulment or voiding of a deed or contract, or a clause within a deed or contract that provides a means for annulling it or rendering it void. Defeasible means capable of being invalidated, undone, or rendered void. Our keyword, indefeasible, which employs the privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," means not defeasible, not capable of being undone, annulled, or rendered void. - Inalienable and indefeasible are close in meaning and are often used interchangeably. According to the second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary, "that is indefeasible which one cannot be deprived of without one's consent; that is inalienable which one cannot give away or dispose of even if one wishes." - For example, the U.S. Constitution guarantees all citizens certain inalienable rights, such as personal liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and so on. When you pay off a mortgage on a house and own it outright, you have an indefeasible title to the house, although you may give up or transfer that title by selling your home or putting the deed in someone else's name. - Inalienable means not able to be given away or transferred. Indefeasible means not able to be taken away, undone, or made void.

TANGENTIAL

Not closely related, only slightly connected, digressive, divergent. - In geometry, the word tangent refers to a line that touches a curve but does not intersect it. When you "go off on a tangent" you make an abrupt change of course in what you are saying; you diverge, digress. Tangential may mean going off on a subject that is only slightly connected to the one under consideration, or it may mean slightly connected to or touching lightly on a subject. Tangential remarks diverge from the subject in question; they are only slightly connected to it. Tangential information touches lightly on the subject but is not closely related or essential to it.

STOLID

Not easily moved, aroused, or excited; showing little or no feeling or sensitivity; mentally or emotionally dull, insensitive, or obtuse. - Synonyms of stolid include unemotional, unresponsive, sluggish, apathetic, impassive, indifferent, and phlegmatic, word 33 of Level 9. - Stolid comes from the Latin stolidus, stupid, dull, unmoving. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, third college edition, stolid applies to a person "who is not easily moved or excited," and suggests "dullness, obtuseness, or stupidity." Unlike stoic people, who display firmness of mind and character in their thick‑skinned, unflinching indifference to pain and suffering, people who are stolid are not easily moved because they are oafs, dolts, louts, or half‑wits. In other words, a stolid person shows little feeling or sensitivity because the light's not on upstairs. - Stolid is sometimes also applied figuratively to behavior or things that are unresponsive, insensitive, or not easily moved. A stolid countenance or expression is unresponsive. A stolid bureaucracy is dense and insensitive to the needs of individuals. And stolid opposition is not easily moved.

APOCRYPHAL

Not genuine, counterfeit, illegitimate; specifically, of doubtful authenticity or authorship. - Spurious is a close synonym of apocryphal. Other synonyms include unauthorized, unauthenticated, fabricated, fraudulent, and supposititious. - Antonyms include genuine, authentic, valid, and bona fide. - The Apocrypha are fourteen books of an early translation of the Old Testament into Greek called the Septuagint. The authenticity of these books was called into question, and they were subsequently rejected by Judaism and considered uncanonical, or not authoritative, by Protestants. However, eleven of the fourteen Apocrypha are accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Today, apocrypha refers to any writings of doubtful authenticity or authorship, and the adjective apocryphal means not genuine, counterfeit, spurious: an apocryphal document, an apocryphal statement, or an apocryphal story.

MENDACIOUS

Not truthful, lying, false, dishonest, deceitful. - Mendacious comes through the Latin mendacium, a lie, from the adjective mendax, which means lying, deceitful. By derivation mendacious means given to lying, disposed to falsehood or deceit. A mendacious person is a dishonest person, one who is prone to lie or deceive; a mendacious statement is an untruthful statement, a deliberate falsehood or a lie. - Synonyms of mendacious include fraudulent, hypocritical, disingenuous, evasive, equivocal, duplicitous, and prevaricating. - Antonyms include truthful, honorable, upright, ethical, virtuous, scrupulous, and veracious. The corresponding noun is mendacity, untruthfulness, lying, deceit.

MANIFOLD

Numerous and varied, consisting of many kinds, containing many elements, features, or characteristics: a large company with manifold operations and divisions; a challenging executive position with manifold responsibilities. - Manifold may sound like a fancy substitute for many, but it's not. While many simply means much, a lot, manifold emphasizes variety, diversity. If your job has manifold duties then the things you do are both numerous and varied. - Equally difficult synonyms of manifold are multifarious and multitudinous. Both manifold and multifarious mean having great variety or diversity: The human race is multifarious, and human nature is even more complex and manifold. - Multitudinous means containing a multitude, consisting of a great number of persons or things: "After his promotion to management, Bob was sometimes overwhelmed by mountains of paperwork and multitudinous administrative chores."

SPORADIC

Occasional, infrequent, irregular, not constant, happening from time to time, occurring in a scattered or random way. - A business venture may have sporadic success. A gambler's luck may be sporadic. Sporadic crimes are crimes scattered throughout a city or neighborhood. Sporadic outbreaks of a disease in the population are occasional, isolated outbreaks. - Antonyms of sporadic include constant, incessant, and unremitting.

MUNDANE

Of the world, worldly, earthly, material as distinguished from spiritual. - Synonyms of mundane include terrestrial, temporal, and secular. An unusual and literary synonym is sublunary. Sublunary means literally beneath the moon, and so of the world; sublunary beings are creatures who abide on Earth. - Antonyms of mundane include lofty, heavenly, sublime, celestial, ethereal, and extraterrestrial, which means literally beyond the earth. - Mundane is often used today to mean ordinary, humdrum, commonplace, banal, unimaginative, prosaic. All current dictionaries list this meaning, but some commentators on usage object to it. They argue that mundane's specific meaning should be protected, and the word should not be lumped with the many other words that mean ordinary and dull. It is a criticism I would advise you not to take lightly. - Jacques Barzun offers this sentence as an example of the debasement of mundane: "A mundane sex life can be compared to a TV dinner, but it's not a gourmet banquet." According to Barzun, "sex life, of whatever kind, is inescapably mundane, and so is a gourmet banquet." - In strict usage, mundane is reserved for things that are worldly as opposed to heavenly, material as opposed to spiritual, secular as opposed to religious. Mundane affairs are worldly affairs, not ordinary affairs. - Mundane writing is not unimaginative or prosaic; it is concerned with worldly matters. Business is by nature mundane because it deals with concrete, material things rather than nebulous spiritual values. Politics is also mundane because it focuses on the issues and problems of the world.

UMBRAGE

Offense, resentment. - Synonyms of umbrage include displeasure, irritation, indignation, and pique. - Umbrage is most commonly used today in the phrase "to take umbrage," meaning to take offense. One takes umbrage at being slighted, either by a real or an imagined insult to one's dignity or pride: "He took umbrage at the criticisms leveled against him in the meeting"; "She took umbrage at his rude manner." You may also feel umbrage, resentment, at something, or give umbrage, offense, to someone else, but these constructions are less common.

INCONGRUOUS

Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character. - Incongruous comes from a Latin verb meaning to come together, fit in. - From the same source come the adjectives congruous and congruent, which mean coming together harmoniously, fitting in consistently. The in‑at the beginning of incongruous is called a privative prefix, which means it deprives or takes away the meaning of what follows. Thus, incongruous means not congruous, not appropriate, not consistent, out of place. - An incongruous remark is one that is inappropriate or not in keeping with the conversation. An incongruous element is out of place, not consistent with the elements around it. An incongruous action is unsuitable to the occasion or situation. An incongruous mixture lacks harmony or agreement.

TRANSITORY

Passing, temporary, fleeting, not permanent or enduring. - The words transitory, transient, ephemeral, and evanescent all mean passing, temporary. - Evanescent comes from the Latin verb evanescere, to vanish, disappear, and refers to something that appears briefly and then fades quickly away: evanescent memories, evanescent joy. - Ephemeral means literally lasting only a day, but in a broad sense it refers to anything conspicuously short‑lived: Our precious youth is ephemeral—lasting, it would seem, but a day. - Transient refers to anything that lasts or stays only for a short while: a transient occupant, a transient event. - Transient and our keyword transitory both come from the Latin transire, to go or pass over, the source also of the familiar words transit and transition. Transitory refers to something that by nature must pass or come to an end: Life is transitory, and sometimes so is love.

FERVENT

Passionate, having or showing great warmth or intensity of feeling, fiery, earnest, impassioned. - Synonyms of fervent include vehement, ardent, fervid, and zealous. - Antonyms of fervent include lukewarm, listless, apathetic, indifferent, impassive, and phlegmatic. - Fervent and fervid both come from the Latin fervere, to boil, glow, and both are still used to mean very hot, boiling, glowing, burning. When used of feelings, fervent suggests great warmth and earnestness. Fervid is stronger and suggests intense, even violent emotion. A fervent speech or a fervent belief is fiery and passionate, but a fervid debate or a fervid protest is vehement, overheated, boiling over with passionate intensity.

REMUNERATION

Payment, compensation, or reward. - Remuneration is a suitable payment or reward for a service or something one has provided: "It is rare that the effort a writer expends in writing a book is commensurate with the remuneration received for writing it"; "When people volunteer their services for a cause, the satisfaction they get from doing something they believe in is more than enough remuneration"; "Mark took the job even though he knew the salary was not sufficient remuneration for the work he would have to do." - Synonyms of remuneration include reimbursement, recompense, consideration, indemnification, and emolument. - The corresponding verb is remunerate, to pay or compensate for services rendered, trouble taken, or goods provided.

COMMODIOUS

Spacious, having plenty of room, comfortably convenient. Synonyms of commodious include ample and capacious. - Commodious comes through French from the Latin commodus, convenience, suitability, the source also of commode, a euphemism for toilet that means literally "something convenient or suitable." From the same Latin commodus, convenience, come the verb accommodate and the noun accommodations, sleeping quarters, lodging. If you find your accommodations accommodating—convenient, suitable to your needs— then chances are they are also commodious, spacious, roomy, comfortable, and convenient.

VERNAL

Pertaining to spring, occurring in the spring; also, having the qualities of spring: fresh, warm, and mild. - Vernal has two challenging antonyms: hibernal and hiemal. Hibernal and hiemal both mean pertaining to winter, wintry. - The ancient Romans gave Ireland the name Hibernia because the Emerald Isle seemed so cold and wintry to them. The familiar verb to hibernate means to spend the winter either in a dormant state, after the manner of bears, or in a place with a milder climate. - Would you like some words for your next summer vacation? Estival means pertaining to summer, like summer, or belonging to summer, as estival flowers or an estival holiday. The verb to estivate, which means to pass the summer, is the opposite of hibernate, to pass the winter. And moving right along through the year, we have autumnal, which means pertaining to autumn, to the fall. - Our keyword, vernal, means pertaining to spring. The vernal equinox, which occurs in March and marks the beginning of spring, and the autumnal equinox, which occurs in September and marks the beginning of fall, are the times during the year when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are approximately the same length.

POIGNANT

Piercing, sharp, biting, penetrating, keen. - Poignant is used to mean piercing, sharp, or penetrating in three ways. - First, it may mean keenly affecting the senses: a poignant odor, poignant beauty, a poignant look. Second, it may mean piercing or penetrating to the feelings, emotionally touching, painfully moving: a poignant drama, a poignant family reunion. Third, it may mean biting, cutting, acute, piercingly effective: poignant wit, poignant delight, a poignant critique. - The odd spelling of poignant, with its silent g, comes from French; the word ultimately comes from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick. Pungere is also the source of puncture, to pierce; pungent, piercing to the smell or taste; and expunge, to punch out, erase, delete: - "The editor expunged all potentially offensive and derogatory material from the book." - Poignant means piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions, or to the intellect.

URBANE

Polished, sophisticated, suave, cosmopolitan. - Urbane is related to the adjective urban, pertaining to or living in a city. Urbane suggests the polite, polished style of a sophisticated city dweller. - The word may be used either of suave, socially refined behavior or of expression that is polished and elegant: "Mary's stunning designer dresses and witty, urbane conversation made her a popular guest at all the high‑society parties."

BOMBASTIC

Pompous, pretentious, inflated, overblown. - Bombastic applies to speech or writing that is pompous, overblown, or pretentious, or to people who express themselves in this way. - Bombastic, grandiloquent, and turgid all denote extravagant language. Turgid, which by derivation means swollen, is used of an inflated style that obscures meaning. Grandiloquent suggests a self‑conscious effort to be eloquent through the use of high‑flown language. Bombastic suggests pomposity and pretentiousness that masks a lack of substance; the bombastic person speaks in a verbose and self‑important way, but says little or nothing. - The corresponding noun is bombast. Originally, bombast was a soft, silky material used for padding. The word now means verbal padding, speech or writing that is wordy, puffed up, and pretentious.

INDIGENT

Poor, needy, penniless, impoverished, down‑and‑out. - Challenging synonyms of indigent include destitute and impecunious. The impecunious person has little or no money: - "Many great writers have suffered through long periods of impecunious obscurity"; "He is a lazy, impecunious wretch posing as a gentleman." The destitute person has no visible means of support: "Ralph's addiction to booze and gambling eventually left his family destitute"; "the starving, destitute refugees of a war‑torn nation." - Indigent comes from the Latin indigentis, in need, wanting. The indigent person is down‑and‑out and in need of assistance or relief: "They built a new shelter for the homeless and the indigent"; "Some people resent paying taxes to support the indigent members of society."

PUISSANT

Powerful, mighty, strong, forceful. - Synonyms of puissant include vigorous, potent, dynamic, and stalwart. Antonyms include weak, feeble, infirm, debilitated, enervated, flaccid, and valetudinarian. - In the seventeenth‑century play The Alchemist, Ben Jonson writes: "I will be puissant, and mighty in my talk to her." - Puissant comes through Middle English from an Old French word meaning powerful. Because it is used chiefly in old poetry and scholarly disquisitions, current dictionaries sometimes label puissant poetic, literary, or archaic. That doesn't necessarily mean you should avoid using it. - Puissant is a lovely word that if used in the right place at the right time can add flair and a dash of style to your expression. The corresponding noun is puissance, power, strength, might. - There is also authority for the pronunciation PWIS‑int for puissant and PWIS‑ints for puissance. But to my ear, these two‑syllable variants sound pwissy and are best avoided. You are better off with one of the three‑syllable pronunciations sanctioned above, which most modern authorities favor.

LAUDABLE

Praiseworthy, commendable, worthy of approval or admiration. - Synonyms of laudable include meritorious, exemplary, and estimable. Antonyms of laudable include contemptible, deplorable, and ignominious. - The verb to laud means to praise, commend, extol. The adjective laudable means commendable, worthy of praise. Laudable actions, laudable motives, and laudable goals all are praiseworthy, commendable, deserving of approval or admiration. - In Macbeth, Shakespeare writes, "I am in this earthly world, where to do harm/Is often laudable, to do good sometime/Accounted dangerous folly."

LUCRATIVE

Profitable, producing wealth, money‑making, financially productive, remunerative. - You've probably heard the phrase "filthy lucre," which comes from Shakespeare. Lucre is an old word for money, profit, wealth. In modern usage lucre used alone usually implies filthy lucre, tainted money, ill‑gotten gains. - Lucre and the useful adjective lucrative come from the Latin lucrum, gain, profit. That which is lucrative is likely to make money, turn a profit. A lucrative job pays well; a lucrative business deal is profitable; a lucrative enterprise is a money‑making enterprise.

OFFICIOUS

Pronounce the initial o of officious like the a in ago. - Meddlesome, nosy, intrusive, interfering, prying; specifically, offering unwanted advice or unnecessary services, especially in a high‑handed, overbearing way. - The officious person butts in and tries to tell others what to do, or offers help that others do not need. The officious person is a meddler, a busybody: "Lucy was sick and tired of her officious supervisor, who would constantly peer over her shoulder and in a single breath tell her what to do, offer to help her do it, and then upbraid her for not doing it right away." - A more difficult and unusual word for this type of unpleasant person is quidnunc. Quidnunc comes directly from Latin and means literally "What now?" The quidnunc always wants to know what's going on, the busybody is always sticking his or her nose into your business, and the officious person is always trying to manage your affairs.

COMMENSURATE

Proportionate, corresponding in amount, measure, or degree; also, equal, of the same size or extent: "She wants to find a job commensurate with her abilities and experience"; "His paycheck was not commensurate with the number of hours he had worked." - By derivation commensurate means "measured together," and therefore corresponding or proportionate.

MERCURIAL

Quick to change moods or change one's mind, having an unpredictable temperament. - Synonyms of mercurial include flighty, impulsive, fickle, capricious, volatile, erratic, and protean. - Antonyms include stable, fixed, steadfast, invariable, and immutable. - Does anything about the word mercurial sound familiar? Can you guess its derivation? If you're thinking that mercurial is related to the word mercury, then you are a sagacious person, both in the current sense of wise, shrewd, perceptive, and in the obsolete sense of quick in picking up a scent—in this case, an etymological scent. - The ancient Roman god Mercury, known to the Greeks as Hermes, was the messenger or courier of the gods, but he had many other responsibilities as well. He was the deity who conducted the souls of the dead to the underworld, and also the god of commerce, travel, eloquence, and thievery. - Mercury is usually depicted wearing a winged helmet and winged sandals to show his fleet‑footedness, and as Hermes he also carried a winged staff with two serpents coiled around it. That staff, which now serves as the symbol of the medical profession, is called a caduceus. - I'm sure that doctors today view the caduceus as a symbol of their devotion to providing swift, efficient health care, but I must confess I find it nothing short of hilarious that the medical profession has chosen a symbol from an ancient god who governed commerce, travel, eloquence, and thievery, and who escorted the dead to their final resting place. - Because of the various hats worn by the god Mercury, the adjective mercurial has been used to mean everything from swift, quick‑witted, and eloquent to shrewd, clever, and thieving. Dictionaries still list these words under the definition "having the characteristics attributed to the god Mercury," but in current usage the word most often is used to mean like the element mercury, which is also called quicksilver. As you know, mercury is used in thermometers, and it is highly reponsive to changes in temperature. - Like the mercury in a thermometer, that which is mercurial is changeable, fickle, or capricious. The mercurial person has an unpredictable temperament and is quick to change moods.

CURSORY

Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination. - Synonyms of cursory include hurried, haphazard, slapdash, and superficial. Antonyms include thorough, careful, exhaustive, prolonged, and protracted. - Don't be fooled by the sound of the word cursory; it has nothing to do with curses or cursing. Cursory comes through the Latin cursorius, running, from the Latin currere, to run. This Latin currere, to run, is also the root of the words course, a path on which one moves or runs; curriculum, a course of study; and courier, a messenger who runs here and there delivering important documents or urgent news. - By derivation, cursory means "running about, not standing still," and the word was once used in this sense. Today, however, cursory is used to mean done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination. - A cursory glance is a quick, passing glance. A cursory reading is a hasty, superficial reading. A cursory explanation is a hurried explanation, one that covers the subject in a haphazard way. A cursory investigation is not methodical; it is done rapidly with little attention to detail.

DISCURSIVE

Rambling, roving, covering a wide range of topics, wandering from one subject to another. - Don't be confused by the presence of the word cursive in discursive. - Discursive has nothing to do either with cursing or with cursive script, in which the letters are joined or flow together. Discursive comes from the Latin discursus, running about, the past participle of the verb discurrere, to run to and fro or in different directions. In modern usage, discursive applies to speech or writing that runs to and fro or in many different directions. - Discursive, desultory, and digressive are close in meaning. - Digressive means straying from the point, wandering away from the topic under consideration. Digressive remarks about what you discussed in your last therapy session don't go over well in a job interview. - Desultory means passing or leaping from one topic to another in an aimless, disconnected way. Conversation at a lively party is often desultory, and many of our dreams have a desultory quality. - Discursive means rambling or roving over a wide range of topics without developing a unified theme or making a central point: "After dinner and a few drinks, Ben's father was prone to indulge in long, discursive monologues that always began with complaints about business and politics, then moved on to observations about sports, and eventually concluded— after several more drinks—with a detailed assessment of the physical attributes of various female celebrities."

TEMERITY

Recklessness, rashness, foolhardiness; reckless disregard for danger, risk, or consequences. - Synonyms of temerity include nerve, cheek, gall, audacity, heedlessness, imprudence, impetuosity, presumptuousness, and effrontery. - Antonyms include timidity, bashfulness, faint‑heartedness, sheepishness, apprehension, diffidence, and timorousness. - The corresponding adjective is temerarious. When George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River, at the time it must have seemed temerarious, but history has since proved it was a sagacious military maneuver. - Temerity comes from the Latin temere, rashly, blindly, heedlessly, and by derivation refers to rash or foolish boldness, a reckless bravado that underestimates the danger or consequences of an action. Do you remember the end of the movie The Graduate, when Dustin Hoffman runs into the church, bangs on the glass, stops the wedding in progress, and then jumps on a bus with Katherine Ross, the intended bride? That was an act of temerity.

REDRESS

Reparation, compensation, satisfaction for a wrong done. - Synonyms of redress include amends, recompense, retribution, rectification, requital, and quittance. - Redress may take the form of a monetary compensation or it may be an act or statement that makes amends, that repairs or compensates for a wrong. One may seek redress for a loss or injury, or one may demand redress for an insult. Webster's New World Dictionary, third edition, notes that redress "suggests retaliation or resort to the courts to right a wrong." - The verb to redress means to repair, set right, make amends for, as to redress grievances, to redress one's losses, to redress a wrong.

DISCERNIBLE

Recognizable, detectible, perceptible, capable of being recognized by the senses or by the mind. - Synonyms of discernible include apparent, evident, distinguishable, and manifest. Antonyms of discernible include obscure, invisible, indistinct, and imperceptible. - Discernible and the related words discern, discernment, and discerning come from a Latin word meaning to sift, separate, distinguish between, and all of these words pertain to sifting or separating things in order to distinguish them. - The verb to discern means to recognize with the senses or the mind, especially to perceive something hidden or obscure: the philosopher's goal is to discern the truth; the doctor's job is to discern the cause of a disease; the numismatist—noo‑MIZ‑muh‑tist, an expert on coins—can discern the genuine from the counterfeit. - The noun discernment denotes the ability to make accurate distinctions or discriminate keenly and wisely. Discernment is what enables a good manager to hire the most capable, loyal employees. The psychologist and the detective both must show discernment in reading people's character and assessing their motives. Challenging synonyms of discernment include astuteness, acumen, and perspicacity. - The adjective discerning means having or showing discernment, revealing knowledge or insight: a wine taster must have a discerning palate; the person with a discerning eye has an exceptional ability to make subtle judgments or distinctions. - The adjective discernible, our keyword, means distinguishable, perceptible, capable of being discerned: "The faint light of dawn was barely discernible on the horizon"; "Industry analysts concluded that there was no discernible difference between the company's performance before and after the merger."

RAPPROCHEMENT

Reconciliation, a reestablishing of friendly relations: "She helped bring about a rapprochement between the hostile parties"; "In 1993, there was a historic rapprochement between Israel and the PLO, and in 1994, an equally significant rapprochement between Israel and Jordan." - Rapprochement comes from a French verb meaning to bring together, and means literally to approach again. The word has been used in English since the early nineteenth century, but it still retains its French flavor in pronunciation: ra‑ as in rap;‑proche‑ with an sh sound as in potion; and ment like maw with ‑aw stopped in the nose: RA‑prohsh‑MAW.

GENTEEL

Refined, polite, well‑bred, sophisticated, elegantly stylish or fashionable, pertaining or belonging to high society. - Genteel came into English in the early seventeenth century from the French gentil, which at the time meant noble, polite, graceful. Originally genteel meant possessing the qualities of those of high birth and good breeding. That definition is still listed in current dictionaries, but today genteel usually suggests an excessive or affected refinement, and the word is often applied to someone or something that is trying to appear socially or intellectually superior.

INEXORABLE

Relentless, unyielding, merciless; not able to be stopped, changed, or moved by entreaty or persuasion. - Synonyms of inexorable include unrelenting, unswerving, inflexible, immovable, uncompromising, intransigent, obdurate, and implacable. - Antonyms include flexible, compromising, obliging, compliant, docile, tractable, acquiescent, and complaisant. - Inexorable comes from the Latin adjective inexorabilis, not moved by entreaty or supplication. By derivation inexorable means not responsive to earnest pleas or humble prayers, and therefore relentless, unyielding. - Inexorable and implacable are close in meaning. Implacable is the stronger of the two; it applies to feeling, and means incapable of being pacified or appeased. An irascible person might express implacable hatred or implacable resentment. Inexorable means incapable of being moved or changed by petition or persuasion, deaf to all pleas. - According to the Century Dictionary, inexorable "expresses an immovable firmness in refusing to do what one is entreated to do, whether that be good or bad." It may apply to a person: "Joe pleaded with his manager to give him an extra day of vacation, but his manager was inexorable." It may also apply to a thing, as "an inexorable campaign to squash the competition and dominate the industry." It may also be used figuratively, as "The inexorable hand of fate, the inexorable voice of necessity, the inexorable drifting of the sands of time, and the inexorable winds of war all led him to his inexorable doom." And in my ability to produce clichés to illustrate this word, I am also inexorable, relentless, unyielding, merciless.

GERMANE

Relevant, fitting, appropriate, precisely to the point. - Synonyms of germane include pertinent, suitable, applicable, apposite, and apropos. - Antonyms include inappropriate, unsuitable, irrelevant, inapplicable, alien, extraneous, incongruous, and malapropos. - Germane comes through Middle English and Old French from the Latin germanus, which means "having the same parents." When you have the same parents, you are closely allied by blood, and so related or akin. Out of this notion of family affinity grew the modern meaning of germane, having a close relationship to the subject at hand, closely tied to the point in question. - Germane, apposite, pertinent, and relevant are close in meaning. - Relevant is the weakest of the group and means simply related, connected, bearing upon a subject: "The chair of the meeting asked the participants to keep their comments relevant and to refrain from bringing up tangential issues." Pertinent implies immediate, precise, and direct relevance: "Emily made several pertinent suggestions during the meeting that helped us focus on the problem." Apposite implies relevance that is particularly appropriate, timely, or suitable to the occasion: "Emily made some apposite observations about the competition that made us reconsider our marketing strategy." Our keyword, germane, implies a close connection or natural relationship that is highly fitting or appropriate: "Emily also presented a great deal of germane information in her report"; "The judge chided the defense attorney for voicing opinions that were not germane to the case."

CONTRITION

Remorse, penitence, repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one's sins or for something one has done wrong. - Penitence is sorrow for having sinned or done wrong; it is often temporary. The penitent person may say "I'm sorry" today and sin again tomorrow. - Remorse is deep sorrow. The remorseful person is tortured by a sense of guilt, and wishes he could erase what he has done. - Contrition is even more intense than remorse. It comes from a Latin verb meaning to crush, and by derivation means a crushing sense of guilt accompanied by a sincere, earnest desire to repent, make amends, and change for the better. - Contrition is the noun; the corresponding adjective is contrite, remorseful, penitent, full of guilt, regret, and sorrow for one's sins or offenses: "When Larry's wife found out about his mistress and his sleazy real estate deals and threatened to leave him, Larry was contrite and swore he'd mend his ways."

SONOROUS

Resonant; deep, full, and rich in sound; having, or capable of producing, a powerful, impressive sound: a sonorous voice; a sonorous speaker; the sonorous bells of a cathedral. - The pronunciation SAHN‑uh‑rus, with the accent on the first syllable, is a British import that began making its way into American speech in the late 1800s. The traditional American pronunciation is suh‑NOR‑us, with the stress on the second syllable. When it comes to American versus British pronunciation, my policy is that British speakers should use British pronunciations and American speakers should use American pronunciations. Perhaps indicating agreement with that dictum, the four leading current American dictionaries all list suh‑NOR‑us first. - Nevertheless, it must be said that first‑ syllable stress in sonorous is more commonly heard today, and probably will prevail.

SUPERANNUATED

Retired because of age, weakness, or ineffectiveness; old and worn out; outdated, outmoded, obsolete. - Synonyms of superannuated include timeworn, antiquated, decrepit, passé, and effete. - Superannuated combines the prefix super‑, meaning "beyond," with the Latin annum, a year, and by derivation means beyond the useful years. - That which is superannuated is too old for use, work, or service. The word may be used of a person who has reached the age of retirement, or of anything that has outlived its usefulness, that is old and worn out, as a superannuated car, a superannuated custom, a superannuated technology, or a superannuated idea.

OPULENT

Rich, wealthy, very well‑to‑do, having substantial means. - Antonyms of opulent include indigent, destitute, and impecunious, which are discussed under indigent, word 39 of Level 3. - The adjectives opulent, affluent, and prosperous all connote wealth and success. Prosperous often is used interchangeably with wealthy, but in precise usage prosperous means marked by continued success, thriving, flourishing. A prosperous business is a successful, thriving business, and because successful businesses are profitable it is also likely to be an affluent business. Affluent, which comes from the Latin fluere, to flow, suggests a constant flow or increase of wealth accompanied by free or lavish spending. - Opulent comes through the Latin opulentus, rich, wealthy, and opis, power, might, ultimately from the name Ops. In ancient Roman mythology, Ops was the goddess of the harvest and the wife of Saturn, the god of agriculture who presided over the sowing of the fields. - Because of this etymological connection to agricultural abundance, opulent is sometimes used to mean ample or plentiful, but in current usage opulent most often applies either to a person who possesses great wealth and property or to a luxurious or ostentatious display of great wealth. If your lifestyle is affluent, you are making and spending large sums of money. If your lifestyle is opulent, you already have plenty of moolah and you enjoy showing off what it can buy. - The corresponding noun is opulence, great wealth or a display of great wealth. A couplet from the eighteenth‑century English satirist Jonathan Swift nicely illustrates this word: "There in full opulence a banker dwelt/Who all the joys and pangs of riches felt."

CAPACIOUS

Roomy, spacious, ample, able to contain or hold a great deal. - Capacious may be used either literally or figuratively. When used literally it is a synonym of spacious and roomy: a capacious house; their capacious office; an overcoat with capacious pockets. When used figuratively, it is a synonym of broad and comprehensive: a capacious intellect; a capacious embrace; a capacious view; a capacious treatment of a subject.

CIRCUITOUS

Roundabout, indirect, not straightforward, following a roundabout and often extended course. - Challenging synonyms of circuitous include devious, meandering, sinuous, tortuous, serpentine, and labyrinthine, which means like a labyrinth or maze. - The adjective circuitous is formed by adding the suffix ‑ous to the familiar noun circuit. A circuit is a line or route that goes around and returns to where it started. Literally, circuitous means like a circuit, going around, following a roundabout and often lengthy course: "They took a circuitous route to avoid traffic"; "His argument was circuitous, going round and round and never getting to the point"; "Looking back on her career, Pamela realized that her path to success had been circuitous."

BUCOLIC

Rural, rustic, of or pertaining to country life. - Synonyms of bucolic include pastoral, provincial, agrarian, idyllic, and Arcadian. Antonyms include urban, municipal, civic, metropolitan, and cosmopolitan. - Bucolic comes from Latin and Greek words meaning a herdsman, shepherd, which in turn come from the Greek bous, an ox. Bucolic may mean either pastoral, pertaining to shepherds, or rustic, pertaining to farming and country life. Bucolic poetry is poetry about the country or country folk; bucolic scenery is rural or rustic scenery. Sometimes bucolic is used in a depreciatory sense to poke fun at people who live in the country. When supercilious city dwellers speak of bucolic manners or bucolic customs, they mean to imply that those manners or customs are crude or unsophisticated.

INVIOLABLE

Secure, safe from assault, infringement, or destruction, sacred, untouchable, unassailable, incorruptible. - Inviolable combines the prefix in‑, not, the suffix ‑able, and the verb to violate, and means literally "not able to be violated." An inviolable peace between nations cannot be broken or disrupted. An inviolable contract cannot be breached, altered, or revoked. An inviolable oath or promise is sacred, secure, incorruptible. Inviolable rights cannot be abused or taken away; they are safe from infringement or assault. An inviolable place cannot be violated or trespassed upon; it is safe, secure, unassailable.

VINDICTIVE

Seeking or wanting revenge, vengeful, characterized by a desire to get even. - Vengeful and vindictive are close in meaning, and both words are used of people who have a strong desire for revenge or retribution. - The vengeful person wants to inflict an equivalent degree of suffering upon the wrongdoer in accordance with the famous code of Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian king, which stipulated "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." - The vindictive person is less rational and more fervent. When a vindictive person feels wronged he is driven to retaliate at all costs. Consequently, vindictive often suggests gratuitous or unjustified retaliation for an offense that is imagined rather than actual.

REPUDIATE

To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one's own; also, to reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true. - Repudiate suggests a formal, often vehement rejection. You can repudiate a child, reject or disown the child; you can repudiate a belief, cast it off or renounce it; you can repudiate a claim, deny its authority; and you can repudiate a charge, reject it as untrue.

ALTRUISM

Selflessness, unselfish concern for the welfare of others. - In the philosophy of ethics, altruism refers to the doctrine that promoting the welfare of society is the proper and moral goal of the individual. In this sense, altruism is opposed to egoism, self‑centeredness, specifically the doctrine that self‑interest is the proper goal of the individual, that the only sensible thing to do in life is look out for number one. - Egoism is distinguished from egotism, both in spelling and meaning. Egotism is extreme self‑involvement, excessive reference to oneself in speech or writing; the egotist cannot stop talking about himself. Egoism implies self‑centeredness, concern for oneself; the egoist cares only about his own needs, concerns, and goals. - Egoism is unpleasant but less intense and disagreeable than egotism. - On the opposite end of the spectrum is altruism. The altruist is selfless, highly moral, and puts the needs of others and of society first. Altruism is unselfish concern for others.

NARCISSISM

Self‑love, excessive admiration of oneself. - Synonyms of narcissism include vanity, conceit, egotism, and amour‑propre. Antonyms include humbleness, modesty, and humility. - Narcissism comes from Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water. A narcissist is a person afflicted with narcissism, self‑love, excessive admiration of one's appearance, abilities, or achievements. Narcissistic is the adjective: - "Amy was sick of dating narcissistic men whose only topic of conversation was me, me, me."

COMPLACENT

Self‑satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself. - Complacent suggests being so satisfied with one's abilities, advantages, or circumstances that one lacks proper concern for the condition of others and is unaware of the situation around one. A complacent smile is a smug, self‑satisfied smile. Complacent behavior is self‑centered and disregards others' concerns. A complacently ignorant person is completely satisfied with his ignorance; he does not know he lacks knowledge and would not care if he did. - Complacent and complaisant should be distinguished in spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Complaisant, with a z sound for the s in the final syllable, means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous, affable, urbane. It has a positive connotation. Complacent, with an s sound for the c in the final syllable, has a negative connotation. Complacent means self‑satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.

AUSTERE

Severe, somber, stern, serious, grim, grave, dour. - Austere may mean severe or stern in appearance, manner, or practice. - An austere person is forbidding, somber, grave. An austere lifestyle is characterized by strict self‑discipline or severe self‑denial. Austere surroundings have a dearth of creature comforts or decoration; they are grim and barren.

LICENTIOUS

Sexually abandoned; lacking moral restraint, especially in sexual conduct. - Apparently there is something sensual about the letter l, because there are no fewer than nine synonyms of licentious that begin with l: lewd, loose, lustful, lecherous, lascivious, libertine, lubricious, lickerish, and libidinous. Additional synonyms of licentious—and believe me, I'm selecting only the more challenging ones—include bawdy, wanton, ribald, prurient, debauched, dissolute, salacious, and concupiscent. - Had enough sexy words? All right, here are three antonyms of licentious to quell your lust: pure, chaste, and virtuous. - Licentious comes from the Latin licentia, freedom, leave, liberty, the source also of the English word license. By derivation licentious means taking license, and the word implies doing something one is not supposed to do, especially something sexually immoral. Dictionaries will tell you that licentious may be used to mean unrestrained by law, morality, or rules of correctness or propriety, as a licentious poet or a licentious rap musician. - But the truth is that in current usage licentious almost always connotes unrestrained sexuality. Licentious poets write lewd or lustful poems, and licentious rap musicians hip‑hop through their sexual escapades. A licentious person is someone who displays a lack of moral restraint regarding sexual conduct.

PUNGENT

Sharp, penetrating, biting, acrid, caustic. - Pungent comes from the same Latin source as poignant and expunge—the Latin pungere, to pierce, prick. Pungent may refer to a literal piercing, to that which is sharp to the sense of taste or smell, or it may refer to a figurative piercing, to that which penetrates the mind or emotions. - A pungent sauce is sharp to the taste, perhaps spicy, sour, or bitter. A pungent critique or pungent humor is sharp and sometimes bitterly worded; it penetrates the mind or pierces the emotions in a direct and often painful way.

REFULGENT

Shining brightly, brilliant, radiant, resplendent. - Additional synonyms of refulgent include gleaming, blazing, sparkling, luminous, incandescent, scintillating, and coruscating. In case you're wondering about those last three, allow me to explain. - Incandescent means extremely bright or glowing with heat. It may sound peculiar to say so, but a light bulb, a person's mind, and a spiritual truth all can be described as incandescent. Scintillating means throwing off sparks, sparkling or twinkling. You can have scintillating thoughts, scintillating conversation, or observe scintillating stars in the summer sky. Coruscating means giving off flashes of light, flashing or glittering. An impressive display of fireworks is a coruscating display; a flashy or brilliant performance can be described as a coruscating performance. - Antonyms of refulgent include dull, dim, obscure, gloomy, and murky, all of which I know you know, so I think I'll commit an unpardonable act of pedantic obfuscation by muddling and bewildering you with these mind‑boggling antonyms: tenebrous, which means dark and gloomy; umbrageous, which means shady or overshadowed; subfuscous, which means dusky or somber; and—do you have room upstairs for one more?—crepuscular, which means pertaining to twilight, hence, characterized by dim, waning, or glimmering light. - Our brilliant keyword, refulgent, comes from the present participle of the Latin verb refulgere, to shine brightly, which comes in turn from re‑, meaning "back," and fulgere, to shine, flash, or gleam. You may use refulgent literally to mean gleaming or shining brightly; for example, someone can give you a refulgent smile, or you can explore a cave with the refulgent beam of a powerful flashlight. You may also use refulgent to mean figuratively brilliant or radiant; for example, you may know someone with a refulgent wit, or a person of refulgent beauty. - The corresponding noun is refulgence, brilliance, radiance, resplendence.

BREVITY

Shortness, briefness, as the brevity of life, the brevity of a child's attention span. - Brevity may also mean brief expression, shortness of speech, as "Forcefulness and brevity are the most important characteristics of a good speaker." Synonyms of brevity in this sense include conciseness, succinctness, terseness, and pithiness. - Brief and brevity both come from the Latin brevis, short, the source also of the unusual word breve. A breve is one of the diacritical marks or symbols used to indicate pronunciation. It's a small curve, like a tiny smile, placed over a vowel to indicate a short sound, as in the e in pet or the a in cat. You've probably seen the breve many times in your dictionary without realizing what it is. - Well, now when you see it again you'll know what it's called, and you will also know that the breve is a symbol for brevity, shortness, briefness.

EPHEMERAL

Short‑lived, passing, fleeting, lasting for a short time. - Ephemeral comes from a Greek word meaning daily, lasting or living only for a day. Ephemeral is sometimes used in this literal sense, as in the phrase "ephemeral literature," publications that come out every day, such as newspapers. Ephemeral literature is opposed to periodical literature, which refers to anything published periodically—weekly, monthly, and so on. In fact, the familiar word journalism by derivation means ephemeral literature, writing that pertains to the events of the day. Journalism and journal come from the French jour, day, as in the restaurant menu item soup du jour, soup of the day. Thus the common expression "daily journal" is redundant, for by derivation journal means something written or published each day. - Today ephemeral is most often used in a general sense to mean conspicuously brief in duration. Ephemeral ideas are popular for only a brief while; the jokes of late‑night TV comedians are ephemeral, here today and gone tomorrow; an ephemeral trend in the economy or in fashion is one that passes swiftly away. - More difficult synonyms of ephemeral include transitory, evanescent, fugitive, and fugacious. For more on these words, review the discussion of transient, word 31 of Level 2.

MYOPIC

Short‑sighted; not able to see the long‑range picture; having a narrow or circumscribed view; lacking discernment, foresight, or perspective. - Synonyms of myopic include narrow‑minded, purblind, and obtuse. Antonyms of myopic include broad‑minded, liberal, tolerant, catholic, and latitudinarian. - The adjective myopic comes from the noun myopia, the common medical disorder known as nearsightedness. In its literal sense, myopic means nearsighted, affected with myopia. In its figurative sense, myopic suggests mental nearsightedness, a lack of long‑range vision, a mental outlook that is limited or narrow. The myopic person lacks perspective and foresight; he can't see the big picture. A myopic approach to solving a problem is short‑sighted; it lacks imagination and does not address long‑term needs or goals. A myopic opinion is narrow‑minded and prejudiced; it reflects only what the person who expresses it wants to see. - The words purblind, obtuse, and myopic are close in meaning. Purblind means partly blind, dim‑sighted; like myopic, purblind may be used literally to mean half‑blind or figuratively to mean lacking insight or imagination. - Obtuse comes from a Latin word meaning dull, blunt, and in modern usage obtuse is used to mean mentally dull, slow to recognize or understand something. Myopic means short‑sighted, having a limited perspective or narrow view.

STOIC

Showing no feelings, unemotional, unaffected by pleasure or pain, bearing pain or suffering without complaint. - Synonyms of stoic include impassive, dispassionate, indifferent, apathetic, placid, languid, phlegmatic, and imperturbable. - Antonyms of stoic include ardent, vehement, zealous, fervid, and fervent. - Stoic and stoicism come from the Greek stoa, a porch or covered walkway—specifically, the famous Painted Porch in ancient Athens where the doctrine of Stoicism was born. In his English Vocabulary Builder, Johnson O'Connor explains that "STOICISM... was a school of philosophy founded by Zeno about 308 B.C....STOICISM is so named because Zeno expounded his philosophy from the Painted Porch, one of the covered walks about the Agora, the public square of ancient Athens. A STOIC... was a follower of Zeno, one who believed that men should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to the unavoidable necessity by which all things are governed." - In modern usage, stoicism means indifference to pleasure or pain; the noun stoic refers to anyone who exhibits rigorous self‑control; and the adjective stoic means showing no feelings, unemotional, bearing pain or suffering without complaint.

OSTENTATIOUS

Showy, extremely conspicuous, extravagant, flamboyant; specifically, displayed or done in a flashy, vain manner. - Antonyms of ostentatious include simple, plain, modest, and unassuming. - Pretentious, pompous, and ostentatious all refer to persons or things that are showy, extravagant, and self‑important. All three words are often used of style, as in writing, speech, fashion, art, music, or architecture. - Pretentious means laying claim to a level of distinction or worth that is undeserved. The pretentious person asserts his self‑importance in a demanding, arrogant way. That which is pretentious draws attention to itself by strutting and bragging. - Pompous means puffed up with exaggerated self‑importance. The pompous person is full of solemn reverence for himself or his opinions. - That which is pompous takes itself too seriously. - Ostentatious emphasizes conspicuousness and vanity. The ostentatious person puts on an extravagant show to impress others. Ostentatious clothing parades itself. An ostentatious display of wealth is an exaggerated, unnecessary show of wealth.

ASTUTE

Shrewd, clever, perceptive, discerning, acute, keenly aware, quick‑witted. - More difficult synonyms of astute include sagacious, perspicacious, and sapient. - Astute usually is used in a positive sense to mean showing keen intelligence and a shrewd ability to protect one's interests or avoid being deceived: an astute investor; an astute negotiator; an astute observer of human behavior. Occasionally it has the negative suggestion of clever in a cunning or self‑serving way, as an astute self‑promoter, an astute political operator.

DIFFIDENT

Shy, timid, bashful, lacking in self‑confidence, hesitant to speak or act. - Diffident comes from the Latin dis‑, which in this case means "not," and fidere, to trust, put confidence in. Diffident was once used literally to mean distrustful, but that sense is archaic, and diffident now suggests lacking trust or confidence in oneself to speak or act. Diffident people have difficulty asserting themselves or expressing their opinions.

TACITURN

Silent, not talkative, holding one's tongue, reserved, uncommunicative, reticent. - Challenging antonyms of taciturn include garrulous, loquacious, effusive, and voluble. - Taciturn comes from the same Latin root as tacit. - Tacit means unspoken, done or made in silence. Taciturn means silent by nature, preferring not to speak. - Taciturn and reticent both mean not talkative, uncommunicative. Reticent suggests a disinclination to express one's feelings or supply information. - Taciturn refers to a person who is habitually silent and withdrawn. - A word of caution about reticent. Though you increasingly hear people use reticent to mean reluctant, in careful usage these words are not synonymous. Reluctant means unwilling, hesitant, disinclined. Reticent means reluctant to speak.

ASSIMILATE

To absorb, take in, incorporate, appropriate. - In physiology, assimilate means to absorb into the body, convert to nourishment, digest. In general use, assimilate has two senses. It may mean to absorb or take into the mind, comprehend, as to assimilate ideas, to assimilate new words into your vocabulary. It is also commonly used to mean to adapt to or become absorbed by a system or culture: "American society is composed of generations of immigrants, some more assimilated than others." "He feared that if he accepted the job, he would have to assimilate into the faceless machine of the bureaucracy."

ANALOGOUS

Similar, akin, comparable, corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form, function, or content. - An analogy is a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a comparison between things: You can draw an analogy between the human brain and a computer, between the human heart and a mechanical pump, or between an airplane and a bird. - When we see an analogy between two things, we say they are analogous, similar but not entirely alike, comparable in some respects. Analogous does not apply to things that are identical. For example, brains and computers and birds and airplanes differ markedly in all but a few ways, but in those ways they are analogous. - When things are analogous they share certain features or particulars; they are similar enough to form the basis for a comparison. If you say your company's management style is analogous to Japanese management style, you mean the styles are alike in some respects but not in others. If you tell a coworker that your job descriptions are analogous, you mean they are similar, comparable, alike in certain ways.

ADROIT

Skillful, clever, dexterous; specifically, showing skill in using one's hands or in using one's brains. - Synonyms of adroit include deft, resourceful, ingenious, artful, and adept. Antonyms of adroit include awkward, clumsy, inept, and maladroit. - Adroit comes from Latin through the French droit, right, and means literally "to the right." Historically, the English language has always favored the right hand as the better, more skillful hand. Yes, I know that's unfair to southpaws, but my job is not to "say it ain't so" but to "call'em like I see' em." The fact is, a bias for right‑handed words is ingrained in the language, which is one reason we don't say "out in right field" to mean crazy, weird, unorthodox.

LEGERDEMAIN

Sleight of hand, a cleverly executed trick or deception. - In a general sense, the simple word magic is a synonym of legerdemain. - More challenging synonyms of legerdemain include prestidigitation and thaumaturgy, which I'll discuss in a moment, after I tell you about the expression "sleight of hand." - The word sleight is related to the word sly, and "sleight of hand" means literally slyness of the hand, a clever trick or illusion done with the hands. - Legerdemain, prestidigitation, and thaumaturgy all refer to magic or deception, but each word has a more specific and precise meaning. Thaumaturgy comes from the Greek word for miracle, and by derivation means the working of miracles. The presti‑in prestidigitation comes ultimately from the Italian presto, meaning nimble, quick; the digit in the middle of prestidigitation is the word digit, which in one of its senses means "a finger." By derivation prestidigitation is nimbleness with the fingers, quick‑fingeredness. Prestidigitation is used as a general synonym for legerdemain, sleight of hand, but sometimes it refers specifically to the art of juggling. - Legerdemain comes from a Middle French phrase meaning "light of hand." Today the word may refer specifically to adroitness with the hands, as in performing magic tricks, or to any display of clever skill and adroitness. For example, a surgeon, a musician, and an athlete all may display legerdemain. In current usage legerdemain may also denote a cleverly executed trick or deception: "Larry hired a sleazy accountant who promised he could outwit the IRS by performing financial legerdemain"; "The first lesson of politics is 'Watch out for dirty tricks and other unscrupulous forms of legerdemain.'" - When you spell legerdemain, remember that it does not have an e at the end.

GLIB

Smooth‑spoken, speaking in a ready, fluent manner, with natural or offhand ease, talkative in a nonchalant way. - Synonyms of glib include suave, facile, bland, voluble, flippant, and unctuous. - By the way, I really like the word unctuous. It comes from the Latin ungere, to anoint, which is also the source of the English word unguent, a medicinal ointment, salve. By derivation unctuous means oily, fatty, having a greasy or soapy feel, and today unctuous is used to mean having a slimy, slippery, or smarmy manner. The unctuous person appears agreeable or earnest, but in an affected, self‑serving, and insincere way. - Our keyword, glib, also has a slightly unpleasant aroma. In general glib refers to the ability to speak or to something spoken in a smooth, easy, nonchalant way, but the word usually suggests a manner that is too smooth and easy to be convincing. Glib answers may be thoughtless, ill‑considered; glib proposals or solutions may be superficial; and a glib salesperson or a glib politician may be persuasive but insincere.

CONVIVIAL

Sociable, merry, festive. - Synonyms of convivial include jovial, and also genial, companionable, affable, and gregarious. Antonyms include unsociable, reserved, solitary, and aloof. - Convivial comes from the Latin convivium, a feast, banquet, which in turn comes from the prefix con‑, meaning "together," and vivere, to live. By derivation convivial means gathering together to eat, drink, and be merry. - In modern usage convivial may mean either "pertaining to a feast or festive occasion" or "fond of eating, drinking, and good company." A convivial atmosphere is a merry, festive atmosphere; a convivial person is a friendly, sociable person, especially someone who likes to socialize while eating and drinking.

ABSTEMIOUS

Sparing or moderate, especially in eating or drinking: "The doctor prescribed an abstemious regimen to reduce her cholesterol level." "After six weeks of being abstemious, he lost twenty pounds and felt ten years younger." - Abstemious may also mean characterized by abstinence, not partaking or indulging, especially in alcoholic beverages: "Their abstemious way of life was dictated by their strong religious beliefs." - Abstemious comes directly from the Latin abstemius, which means abstaining from liquor. The corresponding noun is abstemiousness: - "Vegetarianism is a form of abstemiousness." - Synonyms of abstemious include sober, temperate, and ascetic. Ascetic means rigorously abstemious, practicing strict and extreme abstinence or self‑denial.

JARGON

Specialized and often pretentious language; speech or writing that is highly technical and difficult to understand. - Jargon refers especially to the specialized language or private vocabulary used and understood only by members of a particular group or profession. Medical jargon is the specialized vocabulary used by doctors; computerese is the jargon or highly technical language of computer science; legal jargon comprises the particular stock of Latin terms and complex phraseology used by lawyers. - Jargon develops initially as a means for the members of a particular group to communicate precisely and efficiently; its inevitable consequence, however, is to confuse and exclude those who are not members of the group and who are unfamiliar with the jargon. In current usage, therefore, jargon has come to mean any pretentious speech or writing that seems unnecessarily difficult to understand: "Savvy businesspeople know that using a lot of professional jargon will only alienate clients."

FRUGAL

Spending carefully and wisely, thrifty, economical. - Frugal comes directly from a Latin word meaning economical, and ultimately from the Latin frux, fruit, produce. Frugal people are cautious and sparing with the fruit of their labors. - Thrifty, economical, provident, and parsimonious all mean frugal, spending carefully and wisely, but in slightly different ways and degrees. - Thrifty implies hard work and good management as a means to prosperity. The thrifty person spends only what is necessary and diligently saves the rest. - Economical implies the use of money or resources in the most advantageous way. An economical car uses fuel efficiently. An economical investment is one that generates a higher return. - Provident suggests providing for the future. The provident person spends carefully with a mind toward what may be needed later. - Parsimonious means extremely frugal, stingy, miserly. The parsimonious person keeps a wary eye on every nickel and dime. - Frugal, spending carefully, may also be used to mean involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish. A frugal meal is an economical, no‑frills meal. Flying coach rather than first‑class is a more frugal way to travel.

QUIESCENT

Still, quiet, tranquil, inactive, at rest or repose. - Antonyms of quiescent include vigorous, animated, sprightly, vivacious, and ebullient. - The words latent, dormant, and quiescent are related in meaning. Latent applies to something that has not yet been revealed: a latent ability, a latent desire. Dormant applies to something inactive or that seems asleep: a dormant volcano, a dormant power. Quiescent suggests a temporary cessation of activity, a period of rest or repose: the sea was quiescent after the storm.

PARSIMONIOUS

Stingy, miserly, extremely tight with money. - Antonyms of parsimonious include generous, liberal, open‑handed, bountiful, beneficent, magnanimous, and munificent. - Synonyms of parsimonious include grasping, money‑grubbing, penny‑pinching, close‑fisted, penurious, and niggardly. - Please note that niggard and niggardly are very old words of Scandinavian origin; other than an unfortunate resemblance in sound, they have nothing whatsoever to do with the offensive and derogatory term used by racists to insult African‑Americans. A niggard is a miser; niggardly means stingy, begrudging every nickel and dime. - The noun parsimony means excessive or unnecessary economy or frugality. The adjective parsimonious means very sparing in expenditure, frugal to excess. The eighteenth‑century English essayist Joseph Addison wrote, "Extraordinary funds for one campaign may spare us the expense of many years, whereas a long parsimonious war will drain us of more men and money." - If you've ever known someone who wanted you to do a demanding job and grudgingly offered to pay you half of what it was worth, and not a penny more, then you know well what parsimonious means.

FETID

Stinking, foul‑smelling; having an extremely offensive odor, as of something rotten or decayed. - In Hamlet, Shakespeare could just as well have written "Something is fetid in the state of Denmark," except that if he had, probably no one would quote the line today. - Challenging synonyms of fetid include rank, rancid, malodorous, putrid, noisome, mephitic, and graveolent. Antonyms include fragrant, scented, perfumed, aromatic, and redolent. - Fetid comes through the Latin fetidus, which means "stinking," from the verb fetere, to stink, have a bad smell. In current usage, fetid is not used of any old bad smell but is usually reserved for an extremely offensive odor, such as that produced by rotting or decay. For example, bad breath makes you wrinkle your nose; fetid breath makes you gag. When your garbage is odorous, it smells; when it's malodorous, it smells bad; when it's rank, it's really going sour; and when it's fetid, you'd better get rid of it before your neighbors call the health department. - And now, because I can read your twisted, puerile mind and I know you are waiting for me to get to this: yes, it's also true that a fart can also be fetid, foul‑smelling. - I shall end this malodorous lesson with a pronunciation tip. You may occasionally see our keyword spelled foetid, and you may occasionally hear it pronounced FEE‑tid. That's the British spelling and pronunciation. In American English we spell it fetid and prefer a short e: FET‑id.

ABROGATE

To abolish by legal or authoritative action or decree. - Synonyms of abrogate include cancel, revoke, repeal, annul, nullify, and rescind. - To abolish means to do away with: to abolish slavery, abolish cruel and unusual punishment. - Rescind, revoke, and repeal all suggest a formal withdrawal. Rescind means literally to cut off: you rescind an order. Revoke means literally to call back: you revoke a contract. To repeal means literally to call back on appeal, and applies to something canceled that formerly was approved: we repeal a law or an amendment. - To annul and to abrogate mean to cancel or make void. A marriage may be annulled. Rights and privileges are abrogated, abolished by authoritative action or decree.

REFRACTORY

Stubborn and disobedient, actively resisting authority or control, unruly, impossible to work with or manage. - Because the human animal is so often stubborn, disobedient, and unruly, English abounds with words for these qualities. Synonyms of refractory include willful, headstrong, ungovernable, rebellious, obstinate, intractable, perverse, recalcitrant, intransigent, and contumacious. - Antonyms of refractory include obedient, submissive, compliant, deferential, malleable, docile, tractable, acquiescent, and obsequious. - I know that's a lot of words to stuff in your head, so let's take a moment to clarify some of them. - Refractory, intractable, contumacious, intransigent, and recalcitrant all suggest stubborn resistance to control. - Recalcitrant comes from the Latin re‑, meaning "back," and calcitrare, to kick, and means literally to kick back. The recalcitrant person resists direction or control in a rebellious and sometimes violent manner. - Intransigent, both by derivation and in modern usage, means unwilling to compromise. The intransigent person takes an extreme position and will not budge an inch. - Contumacious means stubborn in an insolent way. The contumacious person displays willful and openly contemptuous resistance to established authority. Examples of contumacious behavior would include insulting a police officer and ignoring a summons to appear in court. - Intractable comes from the Latin tractare, which means to drag around, haul, and also to manage, control. Intractable implies passive resistance to direction. The intractable person refuses to cooperate and must be dragged along. An intractable problem does not respond to any attempt at a solution and stubbornly refuses to go away. - Our keyword, refractory, applies to anyone or anything that is stubbornly disobedient and that actively resists authority or control. Horses, mules, machinery, and children are often described as refractory, but the word may also be applied appropriately to many other things, such as materials that are resistant to heat or chemical agents, or a medical condition that resists treatment, as a refractory case of athlete's foot.

OBSTINATE

Stubborn, inflexible, unwilling to give in or compromise, not yielding to argument or persuasion. - The obstinate person stubbornly adheres to a purpose or opinion, often regardless of the consequences: "First we reasoned with him, then we pleaded with him, but no matter what we said he remained obstinate and determined to have his way." - Obstinate is sometimes mispronounced as if it were spelled obstinant, with an n slipped in before the final t. Take care to spell and pronounce this word correctly. - Synonyms of obstinate include hidebound, intractable, intransigent, and adamant.

DOCILE

Submissive, obedient, compliant; easy to direct, manage, or supervise; following instructions. - Synonyms of docile include amenable, deferential, malleable, tractable, acquiescent, and obsequious. - Antonyms include willful, wayward, headstrong, obstinate, intractable, intransigent, and refractory. - Docile comes through the Latin docilis, teachable, from docere, to teach, instruct. From the same source comes the word docent. A docent is either a teacher at a university who is not a member of the faculty, or a lecturing tour guide in a museum, cathedral, or some such place of cultural interest. By the way, in your travels through museums and the like, you may hear the phrase "docent guide," which is redundant. A docent guide is a "guide guide," because docent means a guide trained to lecture on what is being viewed. Think of me as your docent in the museum of the English language. - Our keyword, docile, by derivation means teachable. In modern usage docile has two closely related senses. It may mean easy to teach or instruct, as a docile pupil, or it may mean submissive, obedient, as a docile pet, or a docile employee—which is not to imply that employees in general are analogous to pets, but only that some employees are docile, easy to direct, manage, or supervise. - The corresponding noun is docility: "A dictatorship or totalitarian state derives its power only from the docility of the people." - Occasionally you may hear docile pronounced DOH‑syl. DOH‑syl is the preference of British and Canadian speakers. The preferred American pronunciation is DAHS‑'l.

OBSEQUIOUS

Subservient, submissive, obedient; ready and willing to serve, please, or obey. - Here are some examples of how obsequious may be used: "When the king entered, all the members of the court bowed obsequiously." "Bill's supervisor expected the employees to be obsequious, attending to her immediate needs before dealing with anything else." "When his wife found out about his affair, Larry tried everything he could think of to persuade her to forgive him, but she scorned all his obsequious gestures and banished him from her bed." - The corresponding noun is obsequiousness, which means subservience, obedience, an eager desire to serve or obey: "Eleanor was disgusted with Michael's obsequiousness whenever they entertained his boss." "Some companies reward obsequiousness rather than initiative and independent work." - Synonyms of obsequious include compliant, servile, slavish, ingratiating, deferential, fawning, toadying, truckling, and sycophantic. Antonyms include unruly, defiant, intractable, refractory, recalcitrant, and intransigent.

GARRULOUS

Talkative, especially in a rambling, annoying, pointless, or long‑winded way. - Garrulous comes from the Latin garrire, to chatter, babble, talk in a rambling and tiresome way. In zoology there is a genus of birds called Garrulus. This genus contains several of the common jays, which are known for their harsh, chattering call. Both by derivation and by association, garrulous means chattering like a jaybird. The garrulous person talks for the sake of talking, usually about trivial matters, and often babbles on when no one else is interested in listening. - Synonyms of garrulous include verbose, loquacious, voluble, and prolix. - Antonyms of garrulous include reserved, reticent, taciturn, and laconic.

MERETRICIOUS

Tawdry, gaudy; attractive in a flashy or cheap way; falsely alluring; deceptively enticing. - By derivation, meretricious means pertaining to or like a meretrix, a prostitute. This unusual meretrix comes directly from Latin and has been in the language for nearly five hundred years, but it is so rare today that you won't find it listed in most dictionaries. - Meretricious is still sometimes used in its literal sense, but most often the word refers to someone or something that has the gaudy appearance or tawdry qualities of a prostitute, especially in a false or deceptive way. - Meretricious eyes are falsely alluring; a meretricious idea is deceptively attractive; a meretricious style is cheap, flashy, and insincere. - Meretricious and meritorious are often confused, but they are nearly opposite in meaning. Meritorious means worthy of merit, deserving praise; a meritorious action is a commendable action. - Meretricious actions are falsely alluring, superficially attractive, flashy but insincere.

TRANSIENT

Temporary, passing away with time, lasting only a short while, momentary, fleeting, short‑lived—in which ‑lived is commonly mispronounced with a short i as in give, when it should have a long i as in strive. - Does that pronunciation pronouncement surprise you? In short‑lived and long‑lived, the ‑lived does not come from the verb to live, as many think. It is formed from the noun life plus the suffix ‑ed. That is why pronunciation authorities and careful speakers have long preferred short‑LYVD and long‑LYVD, and why nearly all current American dictionaries give priority to the long‑i pronunciation. - Since we're discussing pronunciation I should point out that you will often hear educated speakers pronounce our keyword, transient, as TRAN‑zee‑int or TRAN‑see‑int, especially when the word is used as a noun to mean a homeless person, vagrant, or vagabond. Despite the popularity of these three‑syllable variants, I recommend TRAN‑shint, with two syllables, because it is the traditional American pronunciation and the one listed first in all the major current American dictionaries. Remember, transient sounds like ancient. - Challenging synonyms of the adjective transient include transitory, evanescent, ephemeral, fugitive, and fugacious. All of these words mean lasting only a short while, but let's examine the fine distinctions in their meanings. - Transitory applies to something that by its nature is bound to pass away or come to an end. All life must by nature end; therefore life is transitory. When Andy Warhol said everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes, he was describing the transitory nature of fame —here one moment and gone the next. - Evanescent applies to that which fades away like vapor or vanishes as if into thin air: the evanescent beauty of springtime flowers. - A shooting star creates an evanescent trail of light. An intense experience, no matter how brief and evanescent, can become a lifelong memory. - Ephemeral by derivation means literally "living or lasting for only a day." Newspaper writing used to be called "ephemeral literature" because the articles had a lifespan of only one day, with one day's reportage ostensibly erased by the next day's edition. From this original sense of lasting only a day, ephemeral has evolved to mean short‑lived, existing for a short while. If when you meet people you have trouble remembering their names ten minutes later, you could say that you have an ephemeral memory for names. - Fugitive and fugacious come from the Latin fugere, to flee, run or fly away, the source also of the Latin expression tempus fugit, "time flies." By derivation fugitive and fugacious mean fleeting, disposed to fly away or disappear. A fugitive, from the same Latin fugere, to flee, is a person who eludes pursuit, who flees from captivity or danger. The adjectives fugitive and fugacious both refer to things that are elusive, that are hard to catch or perceive because they happen or pass by so quickly: a fugitive smile; the fugitive colors of the sunset; our fugacious memories of childhood. We may pursue happiness, but it is fugacious. - Our keyword, transient, applies to anything that lasts temporarily or that is in the process of passing on. A transient guest stays for a while and moves on. A transient event is fleeting, momentary. A transient condition lasts for a short time. - Antonyms of transient include permanent, timeless, eternal, and everlasting.

RESCIND

To cancel, take back, take away, remove; also, to render void, annul, repeal. - Rescind comes from a Latin verb meaning to cut, and by derivation means to cut back or away; hence, to remove, cancel, take back something one has said or done. When you rescind an order, rescind a contract, or rescind a law, you cancel it, make it void. When you rescind a statement you take it back, remove it from the record.

VERNACULAR

The native language of a people, especially, the common, everyday language of ordinary people as opposed to the literary or cultured language. - The noun vernacular may refer to a native language as opposed to a foreign one, and the adjective vernacular may mean native as opposed to foreign, as: English is my vernacular tongue. More often, though, vernacular is used of the common, everyday language of ordinary people. - A vernacular expression is a popular expression, one used by ordinary folk. - Vernacular literature is either popular literature or literature written in everyday as opposed to formal language. The phrase "in the vernacular" means in ordinary and unpretentious language. - "I'm not going to do it" is formal language. "I ain't gonna do it" is in the vernacular. "He doesn't wish to speak with anyone" is formal language. "He don't wanna talk to nobody" is vernacular. - These examples of vernacular English are considered ungrammatical and substandard, and I want to be careful not to give you the impression that bad English is the only form of vernacular English. The vernacular comprises all language that is common and informal, any word or expression that ordinary people use—whether it is considered bad or good, acceptable or improper. - In Modern English Usage, H. W. Fowler describes the vernacular as "the words that have been familiar to us for as long as we can remember, the homely part of the language, in contrast with the terms that we have consciously acquired." - Calling someone a "sharp cookie" is the vernacular way of calling someone intelligent, perceptive, judicious, or sagacious. Saying someone is a "phony" is the vernacular way of saying someone is a sham, an imposter, or a charlatan. The vernacular of the East differs from the vernacular of the West, and often residents of different parts of the same state or city have their own vernacular—common, informal, everyday language.

ACME

The peak, highest point, summit, zenith, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point in the development or progress of something. - Here's a funny story about vocabulary development. - I learned the word acme as a young boy watching the "Roadrunner" cartoons on television, in which Wile E. Coyote uses various products made by the "ACME" company in his obsessive quest to capture the Roadrunner. Of course the coyote's plans always backfire, and he usually winds up flying headlong over some precipitous cliff. Through the power of association I have since connected the height of those cliffs with the word acme, the peak, highest point. - You see, even watching television can help you build your vocabulary. - However, reading Verbal Advantage along with a regular diet of general reading is a far more effective method. - Acme comes directly from a Greek word meaning the highest point, extremity. The word is often used figuratively to mean the highest point in the development or progress of something, as in "the acme of his career," "a company at the acme of the industry." The corresponding adjective is acmatic: "Albert Einstein's theory of relativity was an acmatic scientific breakthrough." The antonym of the acme is the nadir, the lowest point.

CHRYSALIS

The pupa of a butterfly; the stage in the development of the insect between the larval and adult stages, during which the insect is enclosed in a case or cocoon. - Chrysalis is now also used in a figurative sense to mean a sheltered and undeveloped state or stage of being: "Promising young artists and writers have always had to break out of their creative chrysalis to achieve the recognition they deserve"; "After four years at college she emerged from her chrysalis in the ivory tower into the wide‑open world, fully mature and ready to accomplish great things." - In this general sense, chrysalis is a useful word that can add a nice touch of style to your expression. Be careful, however, to use it precisely. The danger lies in confusing chrysalis with the words transformation and metamorphosis. - Listen to this sentence, which was written by a theater critic about a performance of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion: "Dirickson is convincing and eminently likable as Eliza, deftly handling the chrysalis from street urchin to lady while, along the way, growing in confidence and independence." - You cannot "handle" a sheltered and undeveloped state "from" one thing to another. What the critic meant to describe was a change that resembled the transformation a butterfly undergoes from its larval stage, when it is but a caterpillar, through its chrysalis, its stage of development in the shelter of the cocoon, and then to fully formed adulthood. The proper word for that transformation is metamorphosis. Chrysalis means a sheltered state or undeveloped stage of being.

PENSIVE

Thoughtful, absorbed in thought, especially in a deep, dreamy, or melancholy way. - Synonyms of pensive include reflective, meditative, wistful, and contemplative. - Pensive comes through an Old French verb meaning to think from the Latin pensare, to ponder, consider, weigh in the mind. When you are pensive, you are thinking deeply about something, pondering it, weighing it in your mind. - Pensive, contemplative, and wistful all mean thoughtful, but in different ways. - Wistful, which is related to the word wishful, suggests thoughtfulness marked by a strong and often sad longing or desire. When two lovers are apart, they are often wistful. - Contemplative, the adjective corresponding to the noun contemplation, suggests profound reflection usually directed toward achieving deeper understanding or enlightenment. Philosophers and prophets are contemplative. - Pensive suggests a deep, dreamy, and often melancholy thoughtfulness. - A pensive mood is characterized by dreamy seriousness. When you grow pensive you become lost in thought, and probably have a slightly sad, faraway look in your eyes. - The corresponding noun is pensiveness: "The most salient characteristic in the poetic temperament is pensiveness."

PROVIDENT

Thrifty, economical, saving or providing for future needs. - Synonyms of provident include prudent, word 47 of Level 1, and frugal, word 35 of Level 2. - Provident and the verb to provide both come from the same Latin root. - One meaning of the verb to provide is to prepare for some anticipated condition in the future, as to provide for a rainy day. Provident means providing for the future, especially in the sense of saving money for some anticipated need: "After the birth of their first child, Sam and Sarah vowed to be provident and start putting aside some money every month for college and retirement."

ATTEST

To affirm to be true, genuine, or correct; certify or authenticate officially; stand as proof or evidence of. - Attest comes from the Latin ad, to, and testari, to bear witness, and ultimately from testis, a witness. From the same Latin testis, witness, English has inherited a number of other words, including testify, testimony, testimonial, and the legal terms testator, a person who has made a valid will, and intestate, which means not having made a legal will. - By derivation, attest means to bear witness to, give testimony, and today the word may be used in this literal sense, as to attest to someone's whereabouts, to furnish references who will attest to your skills and qualifications. Attest is also used to mean to affirm to be true, genuine, or correct, or to stand as proof or evidence of: "Many studies attest the deleterious effects of saturated fat and cholesterol"; "Michelangelo's David is but one of many masterpieces that attest the greatness of this Renaissance artist."

ACQUIESCE

To agree without protest, accept without argument or resistance, give in quietly. - Synonyms of acquiesce include consent, comply, submit, assent, and accede. The corresponding noun is acquiescence. Acquiescence means the act of acquiescing, passive agreement, quiet acceptance. - Assent, accede, and acquiesce all mean to agree in slightly different ways. Assent implies agreement reached after careful consideration or deliberation: "The president of the company predicted that the stockholders would assent to the proposed merger." Accede implies agreement in which one person or party gives in to persuasion or yields under pressure: - "Management is not likely to accede to the union's demands." Acquiesce implies agreement offered in spite of tacit reservations. The person who acquiesces often is unwilling to agree but lacks the will or energy to resist: - "Despite her doubts about the plan, Lucy acquiesced"; "Bob wasn't happy with the salary that Mercenary Media had offered him, but he knew he would have to either acquiesce or take an even lower‑paying job." - Acquiesce is sometimes followed by the preposition in: "One member of the jury remained obstinate and would not acquiesce in the verdict"; "The chief executive officer acquiesced in the board of directors' decision."

CONCUR

To agree, be in accord with, unite in opinion. - Concur comes from the Latin con‑, together, and currere, to run, flow, and means literally to run or flow together, go along with. That derivation has led to three slightly different meanings of the word. - First, concur may be used to mean to act together, combine in having an effect, as "Time and chance concurred in our success." - Second, concur may be used to mean happen together, occur at the same time, coincide, as "His pay raise concurred with his promotion." - The third and most common meaning of concur is to agree, as "Your story concurs with theirs"; "We concurred on almost every point of negotiation."

SUCCOR

To aid, help, relieve, give assistance to in time of need or difficulty, as to succor the wounded or succor the sick. - The noun succor means help, aid, relief, assistance in time of need or distress, as to give succor to the homeless on Thanksgiving. - Both the verb and the noun come from a Latin verb meaning "to run to the aid of." Although succor and the slang verb sucker have the same pronunciation, they are not related and are virtually opposite in meaning.

PROPITIATE

To appease, gain or regain the goodwill or favor of, cause to become favorably inclined. - Synonyms of propitiate include conciliate, pacify, mollify, placate, and assuage. Antonyms include alienate, offend, antagonize, estrange, and disaffect. - The corresponding noun is propitiation, appeasement, conciliation, the act of getting into the good graces of. - The verb to propitiate comes from Latin and means literally to soothe, appease, render favorable. From the same source comes the adjective propitious, which refers to favorable conditions or a favorable time for doing something, as a propitious time for buyers in the real estate market. - In modern usage, to propitiate means to cause to become favorably inclined, to win the goodwill of someone or something despite opposition or hostility. Typically, you propitiate a higher power, such as your boss, your parents, the Internal Revenue Service, or your god.

SANCTION

To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify. - To sanction, certify, and ratify all mean to approve. Ratify means to officially approve something done by a representative: to ratify a treaty. - Certify means to officially approve compliance with requirements or standards: a certified public accountant. Sanction means to give authoritative approval: the company's board of directors sanctioned the merger; many religions do not sanction unmarried sexual relations; the law sanctions free speech but not antisocial behavior.

SUPPLICATE

To ask, beg, or plead for humbly and earnestly. - Synonyms of supplicate include entreat, petition, importune, and beseech. - The verb to supplicate comes from the Latin supplicare, to kneel, get on one's knees, which in turn comes from supplex, kneeling, on one's knees. - By derivation, to supplicate means to beg or plead for something on bended knee. From the same source we also inherit the word supple. Occasionally supple is used to mean yielding, compliant, or obsequious, but it is now most often used either literally or figuratively to mean bending easily, limber, flexible, as a supple bough or a supple mind. - The corresponding noun supplication means either a humble and earnest request or the act of begging or pleading for something humbly and earnestly. A person who supplicates or who makes a supplication may be called either a suppliant or a supplicant.

ALLOCATE

To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose. - Allocate comes from a Latin verb meaning to locate, determine the place of. That which is allocated has been assigned a special place or purpose. - A person might allocate a bedroom in the house as a home office. Busy parents try to allocate time to spend with their children. Voters pass bond measures to allocate funds for education, parks, or libraries. One measure of a successful company is how much money it allocates for product development.

IMPUTE

To charge or attribute, especially with a fault or misconduct, lay the responsibility or blame upon, ascribe, assign. - Unlike the verb to credit, which has a favorable connotation, and the verbs to assign and to ascribe, which are neutral, the verb to impute often has a negative connotation. According to the famous eighteenth‑century essayist and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, "We usually ascribe good, but impute evil." - To impute means to charge with something bad, attribute the blame for, lay the responsibility on: "They imputed their fourth‑quarter losses to sagging sales and fluctuations in the stock market"; "Some critics impute the decline in verbal skills among young people today to watching too much television." - The corresponding noun is imputation, a charge or accusation, the act of imputing, as "Company officials vigorously denied the imputation of mismanagement."

ESCHEW

To avoid, shun, abstain from; keep away from something harmful, wrong, or distasteful. - Don't be misled by the sound and spelling of eschew; the word has nothing to do with the act of chewing—for which the fancy synonym, by the way, is mastication. When you masticate your food, you chew it thoroughly. - Eschew comes through Middle English from Old French and Old High German words meaning to shun, avoid, or dread. According to the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, eschew suggests avoiding or abstaining from something "because to do otherwise would be unwise or morally wrong." Morally upright people eschew evil, teetotalers eschew alcohol, nonsmokers eschew tobacco, and vegetarians eschew meat— which doesn't mean they masticate it but that they avoid eating it. - In recent years some people have begun pronouncing eschew as es‑SHOO, like s plus shoe, so that in 1993 one dictionary, Merriam‑Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, recognized this mispronunciation along with the even more eccentric e‑SKYOO. For a thorough account of why you should eschew these variants, see the entry for eschew in my Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations. In the meantime, remember that there is no shoe in eschew. Put a chew in it. - You may recall that in the introduction to this level I noted that there are two bad habits you must eschew at all costs. First, don't invent your own pronunciations, and second, don't blindly imitate the way other people pronounce words. If you follow those two guidelines, you will have no trouble eschewing objectionable pronunciations and mastering the correct ones.

OSTRACIZE

To banish, send into exile, expel from a place; to bar, exclude, or reject from a group or from acceptance by society: "His questionable conduct led to his being ostracized by the other members of his profession"; "After the embarrassing incident her friends began to avoid her, and eventually they ostracized her from their social life." - The verb to ostracize, the corresponding noun ostracism, and the related word petalism share an interesting history. Ostracism and petalism were forms of banishment employed by the ancient Greeks. Ostracize and ostracism come from the Greek ostrakon, a potsherd, a piece of broken pottery. Ostracism was practiced by the ancient Athenians as a way of removing from the city people considered dangerous or embarrassing to the state. Citizens would vote by writing the name of the person to be expelled on a potsherd or earthenware tablet. Banishment was for a period of ten years, after which time the person was considered vindicated and free to return. - Petalism was a similar mode of expulsion practiced in ancient Syracuse. - Petalism differed from ostracism only in the method of voting, which was done by writing on an olive leaf instead of on a piece of clay, and in the length of the exile, which was for five instead of ten years. The Century Dictionary notes that petalism was eventually repealed "on account of its deterring the best citizens from participating in public affairs."

DISPARAGE

To belittle, depreciate, discredit, lower in estimation or value, speak of or treat as inferior. - Familiar synonyms of disparage include abuse, ridicule, scorn, slander, defame, and censure. Challenging synonyms of disparage include denigrate, malign, vilify, traduce, and calumniate. - You'd never guess from looking at it, but the word disparage is related to the noun peer, an equal, a person of equal status. Peer comes from the Latin par, meaning "equal," the direct source of the familiar English word par, which is perhaps most often heard in the phrase "on a par with," meaning on an equal footing. The meanings of par and peer sit quietly in the middle of the word disparage, which comes from an Old French verb that meant to marry unequally, marry a person who was not a peer or on a par with your rank in society. - To marry an inferior person, someone beneath one's station, was the meaning of disparage when the word entered English in the fourteenth century. Later it came to mean to degrade, lower in dignity or position, as "The prince disparaged himself by helping the servants prepare the meal." - From those now‑obsolete senses evolved the modern meaning of disparage, to belittle, depreciate, lower in estimation or value. When you disparage someone or something, you speak of it or treat it as inferior: - "Some people claim astrology is a legitimate science; others disparage it as foolish superstition." - The corresponding adjective is disparaging, as a disparaging remark or disparaging words. The corresponding noun is disparagement, as "The city council's plan for economic recovery received only disparagement in the press."

CENSURE

To blame, condemn, find fault with, criticize harshly, express stern disapproval of. - Synonyms of censure include denounce, reprimand, and reprehend. Antonyms include commend, extol, and laud. - Censure is often used today to mean to reprimand formally, blame or condemn in an official manner, as "The Senate censured one of its members for unethical conduct." But you may also use censure less formally to mean to express stern disapproval of, criticize harshly, as to censure an employee for lackadaisical performance. Censure usually implies condemnation of irresponsible behavior rather than condemnation of character. - Be careful not to confuse the words censure and censor. To censor is to suppress or delete something objectionable, as to censor a book, or to censor unpopular opinions. To censure is to blame, condemn, find fault with.

ENGENDER

To bring about, bring into being, give rise to, cause to exist, sow the seeds of. - Synonyms of engender include produce and generate. Antonyms include prevent, suppress, subdue, quell, and quash. - Engender comes through Middle English and Old French from the Latin generare, to beget, produce, bring to life. Originally, engender meant to beget by procreation, which is a fancy way of saying sexual intercourse. - Dictionaries still list beget, procreate, and propagate as synonyms of engender, but the sense of breeding offspring has fallen by the wayside, and since at least Shakespeare's day engender has meant to bring forth, give rise to, cause to exist. A rally in the stock market may engender hope among investors that the economy is improving. An exchange of invective between nations can engender war.

MOLLIFY

To calm, soothe, pacify, appease, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe: "Nothing mollified his anger." - Mollify comes from the Latin mollis, soft, and facere, to make, and means literally "to make soft." Also from the Latin mollis, soft, comes the word emollient. As an adjective, emollient means softening, soothing, mollifying; as a noun it means a softening or soothing agent, such as a lotion or cream for the skin. - The verb to mollify once meant literally to make soft or tender, as to mollify meat, tenderize it. That sense is now obsolete and mollify today is used to mean to soften in feeling or tone, calm, soothe, make less harsh or severe: "The union leaders decided to mollify their demands"; "A good manager should be adept at mollifying conflicts that can damage morale"; "The plaintiff's attorney said that only a million‑dollar settlement would mollify her client"; "He was furious, and nothing she said mollified him."

EXPURGATE

To cleanse by removing offensive material, free from objectionable content. - Synonyms of expurgate include censor, purge, and bowdlerize. - The verbs to expurgate and bowdlerize are close in meaning. - Thomas Bowdler was an English editor who in the early 1800s published expurgated, or cleansed, editions of the Bible and Shakepeare's works. People did not appreciate Bowdler's expurgation of the Good Book and the bawdy Bard, so they took his name and made a nasty word: bowdlerize. To bowdlerize is to remove material considered risqué, offensive, or obscene, but it connotes doing so out of a prudish or squeamish sense of morality. - Expurgate comes from the Latin expurgare, to cleanse, purify, and by derivation is related to the verb to purge, to free from impurities, and the adjective pure. To expurgate means to cleanse by removing that which is objectionable. - When something is bowdlerized, that which is considered morally offensive has been deleted. When something is expurgated, that which is considered objectionable for any reason has been deleted. You can bowdlerize Shakespeare by taking out the ribald humor, and you can bowdlerize D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover by removing the passages about sex; but you cannot bowdlerize a textbook because presumably it does not contain anything ribald, erotic, or obscene. - However, if people charge that a textbook displays a bias or draws conclusions that they find objectionable, they may attempt to expurgate it, cleanse it by removing the offensive material.

VINDICATE

To clear from blame, free from suspicion of wrongdoing or dishonor, uphold or maintain the truth or innocence of something or someone in the face of criticism or imputations of guilt. - If you are accused of something but later the charge is dropped, then you have been vindicated. You can vindicate your good name or your reputation by clearing it from blame or suspicion. You can also vindicate a claim of ownership or your right to something by defending or upholding the truth of it. - The corresponding noun is vindication: "In a civil lawsuit, the plaintiff seeks restitution for an alleged wrong, and the defendant seeks vindication from the charges." - To vindicate, to exonerate, and to acquit all mean to free from blame. Acquit refers specifically to a judicial decision to release someone from a charge. Exonerate implies removing the burden of guilt for a wrongdoing that may or may not have been committed. - Vindicate means to clear from blame, criticism, or suspicion of guilt by bringing forth evidence and proving the unfairness of the charge. Someone may be acquitted by a jury and exonerated by his family and friends, but never vindicated in the eyes of the community.

CORROBORATE

To confirm, support, make more certain or believable: "Six witnesses corroborated the victim's account of the crime." - Corroborate comes from a Latin verb meaning to strengthen. In modern use corroborate means to strengthen by providing additional evidence or proof. When you corroborate a story, you strengthen it, support it, help to establish it as true. - Authenticate, verify, substantiate, and corroborate all mean to confirm in slightly different ways. - To authenticate is to establish something as authentic or genuine: You authenticate a document, a signature, or a work of art. - To verify is to establish as true, confirm the accuracy of: Reporters have a responsibility to verify facts and quotations. - To substantiate is to support by supplying reliable evidence or proof: - Scholars and scientists must substantiate their theories. The investigation uncovered several key facts that substantiated the case against the company. - To corroborate is to substantiate what someone else has said by supplying additional evidence or proof. When you corroborate another person's statement, you make it more certain or believable.

SUBJUGATE

To conquer, defeat, vanquish, overwhelm completely, bring under rigid control, make submissive, dominate, enslave. - Subjugate comes from the Latin sub‑, under, and jugum, a yoke, and means literally to place under a yoke. It is related to the noun a subject, which in one of its senses means a person under the control of a ruler, as a subject of the king. A subject is someone who has been subjugated, made submissive, brought under control, enslaved. - The words defeat, conquer, and subjugate are generally synonymous but are used in slightly different ways. Defeat suggests winning or beating an opponent in a single engagement; you can defeat a person in an argument, a contest, a game, or a fight. Conquer suggests achieving a final victory or gaining complete control over an opponent after a series of contests: "After a long and arduous campaign, Caesar conquered the Gauls." Subjugate adds to defeat and conquer the suggestion of domination, bringing the vanquished opponent under complete and rigid control: "During World War II, Hitler conquered most of Europe and then brutally subjugated its people." - Subjugation need not apply only to war; it may also refer to psychological domination. For example, you may subjugate an addiction, subjugate an impulse, or subjugate an emotion—yoke it, make it submit to your will, bring it under complete control.

ACCEDE

To consent, yield, give in or agree to. - Synonyms of accede include comply, submit, assent, concur, and acquiesce. Antonyms include resist, disagree, oppose, protest, contradict, dispute, dissent, wrangle, and cavil. - The verbs accede, acquiesce, assent, concur, and consent all suggest agreement. Consent implies voluntary agreement: You consent to another's wishes. Concur implies agreement reached independently: When you concur with a statement, you agree on your own without pressure from the person who made it. Assent implies agreement reached after careful consideration or deliberation: When you assent to a plan, you agree to it after discussion or careful thought. Acquiesce implies agreement offered despite tacit reservations: the person who acquiesces often is unwilling to agree but lacks the will or the energy to resist. - Accede, our keyword, comes from the Latin accedere, to approach, come near. Accede implies agreement in which one person or party gives in to persuasion or yields under pressure. When you accede, you yield your position and give in to a demand or request, often under pressure: "They acceded to the proposal on certain conditions"; "After renegotiating various points, we acceded to the terms of the contract"; "The union refused to accede to the company's demands." - Accede may also be used to mean to attain or assume an office or title, as to accede to the throne, to accede to the presidency.

CAVIL

To criticize or complain unnecessarily, point out petty flaws, raise trivial or frivolous objections. - Synonyms of cavil include nitpick, niggle, carp, and quibble. All these words suggest making unnecessary criticisms or complaining about trivial things. A good editor corrects your grammar and punctuation but doesn't nitpick every sentence. A boss who niggles about every detail will eventually exasperate the employees. Husbands and wives often carp at each other about household expenses and domestic chores. Professors quibble with their colleagues about minor points of scholarship. Newspaper critics will often cavil in their reviews just to assert their authority as critics. - To cavil means to complain unnecessarily, point out petty flaws, raise trivial or frivolous objections.

TRUNCATE

To cut short, shorten by cutting or lopping off. - Synonyms of truncate include condense, abridge, abbreviate, and curtail. Antonyms include lengthen, extend, elongate, prolong, and protract. - Truncate comes from the Latin verb truncare, to maim, mutilate, shorten by cutting off, which in turn comes from truncus. As an adjective, the Latin truncus means maimed, mutilated, cut short or lopped off; as a noun, truncus denotes a tree that has been cut down, so that only the stump remains. - Probably because the history of truncate contains so much maiming and mutilation, the word usually suggests a more severe or substantial cutting or shortening than its synonyms condense, abridge, abbreviate, and curtail. - Of all these words, curtail comes closest to the severity of truncate. - Truncate may refer to a cutting short in number, length, or duration. An editor truncates an article or a book by cutting out large sections of it. A heart attack or severe illness can truncate a life, cut it short early or in its prime. And a company might decide to truncate its workforce, perhaps by cutting out several departments. Of course, company executives would never use the word truncate. They would say they were downsizing, which makes it sound as if they're just putting the company on a low‑fat diet instead of engaging in an act of corporate mutilation. - The corresponding adjective truncated means cut short, abbreviated, terminated abruptly, as a truncated meeting, a truncated explanation, a brief period of economic growth and prosperity truncated by recession.

BEGUILE

To deceive, delude, or mislead; also, to charm, amuse, or delight. - Synonyms of beguile in the sense of "deceive, delude, or mislead" include dupe and gull, which were discussed in word 11 of Level 2, and also hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle, ensnare, and cozen. Synonyms of beguile in the sense of "charm, amuse, or delight" - include enchant, enrapture, enthrall, and ensorcel, also spelled ensorcell, a poetic word that by derivation means to practice sorcery upon. - The word guile comes to us through Old French, probably from an Old English word meaning sorcery or divination. The notion that the practitioners of sorcery are evil wizards has led to the modern meaning of guile: deceitful craftiness, treacherous cunning. - The prefix be‑ at the beginning of the verb to beguile is an intensifier meaning "completely, thoroughly." You can see this intensifying prefix be‑ in the words besmirch, to smirch or stain thoroughly; befuddle, to completely fuddle or confuse; and beware, to be completely wary of, to be thoroughly on one's guard. - In its original sense the verb to beguile means to deceive completely by means of guile, crafty, treacherous cunning. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, Eve tells God, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Since Shakespeare's time beguile has also been used in a far less sinister way to mean to completely capture the attention of, to thoroughly divert or distract, and so to charm, amuse, or delight. - Depending on the motives of the beguiler, when you are beguiled you may either be thoroughly charmed and enraptured or completely distracted and deceived. Beguiling eyes are captivating, fascinating eyes; beguiling words are crafty, deceptive, misleading words.

EMBELLISH

To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant, or interesting. - Embellish comes from an Old French verb meaning to make beautiful and has been traced back to the Latin bellus, pretty. By derivation, embellish means to beautify, make pretty. An embellishment, the corresponding noun, is a decoration, ornament, something that beautifies. - Embellish may be used in numerous ways to mean to decorate, make more beautiful or interesting. You can embellish your home by decorating it with beautiful things. You can embellish an outfit with ornaments or accessories. You can embellish your speech or writing with interesting words and elegant phrases. And you can embellish a story, dress it up with entertaining details or even things that aren't true: "Over the years the old fisherman had added many fanciful embellishments to his tale about 'the big one that got away.'"

DISSEMBLE

To disguise; conceal under a false appearance; speak or behave hypocritically; cover up the facts or one's true feelings or motives; mask under a pretense or deceptive manner. - Synonyms of dissemble include to feign, affect, simulate, camouflage, equivocate, and prevaricate. - To disguise is the general word meaning to give something a false appearance so it won't be recognized. We disguise our physical appearance, disguise facts, or disguise intentions. - To feign means to represent falsely, pretend that something exists or is real, as to feign interest, feign illness, feign innocence, or feign sleep. - To affect means to put on a false appearance to make a certain impression, as to affect knowledge, affect a cultivated pronunciation, affect social superiority, or affect a carefree manner when your heart is breaking. - Our keyword, dissemble, comes from an Old French verb meaning "to appear different," and by derivation means to make something appear different from what it is. When you dissemble the facts or dissemble your feelings, you conceal them under a false appearance. The person who dissembles speaks or behaves hypocritically so as to cover up the truth.

PROTRACT

To draw out, drag out, extend in time, lengthen, prolong, especially to excess. - Antonyms of protract include abbreviate, condense, curtail, and truncate. - Prolong and protract both refer to increasing the duration of something. - Prolong suggests making it longer than usual, lengthening it beyond ordinary limits: to prolong a meeting, a prolonged illness. Protract comes from the Latin tractare, to draw, drag around. It suggests drawing or dragging something out needlessly, often to the point of irritation or boredom. A protracted trial is long and tedious. A protracted debate seems to drag on forever. And now, before you accuse me of protracting this discussion, I shall curtail it—cut it short—and move on to the next word.

EXPATIATE

To elaborate, speak or write at great length. - Synonyms of expatiate include discourse, expound, and descant. - The verb to expatiate comes from the Latin expatiari, to wander. - Expatiate originally meant to wander or walk about freely, but this sense is now rare. In current usage expatiate suggests wandering at will over a subject. When you expatiate on something, you elaborate, go into detail, speak or write about it at great length. The corresponding noun is expatiation.

ABET

To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose. - Some dictionaries note that abet means especially to encourage or assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliché "to aid and abet," meaning to assist a criminal in the commission of a crime. That sense is perhaps more common, but abet may also be used favorably, as "to abet the cause of justice," "to abet the committee's efforts to get the plan approved."

DELEGATE

To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another's care or management, hand over to an agent or representative: "The executive director delegated various managerial duties to her assistant"; "Our department chief has trouble letting go of the reins and delegating responsibility."

EXPUNGE

To erase, delete, cancel; punch, strike, or wipe out; eradicate, obliterate. - To erase means literally to rub or scratch out. You erase a blackboard or a pencil mark. To cancel means literally to cross out with lines. You cancel a check or a clause in a contract. To delete means to remove written material. On a computer you can delete a word, a paragraph, or an entire document with a few keystrokes or clicks of the mouse. To expunge means to wipe out something completely so it appears as though it had never existed: to expunge a name from a list; to expunge all record of an event; to expunge a word from your vocabulary.

SUPPURATE

To fester, form or discharge pus. - This unusual word applies to wounds, boils, ulcers, or other lesions that become infected and discharge pus. - When a lesion suppurates, discharges pus, it is called suppuration; and suppuration, if untreated or unchecked, may lead to a state of putrefaction. The verb to putrefy means to rot or decay; the adjective putrid means rotten, foul‑smelling, fetid; and the noun putrefaction means rotting, decomposition, foul‑smelling decay. - Okay, you can stop holding your nose now because this suppurating, putrid lesson is over and we're moving on to... -

EXONERATE

To free from blame, free from a charge or the imputation of guilt, declare blameless or innocent. - Synonyms of exonerate include acquit, absolve, and exculpate. - Exculpate comes from the Latin ex‑, meaning "out," and culpa, blame, and means literally to free from blame. The word onerous means burdensome, and the corresponding noun an onus means a burden. Exonerate combines the Latin ex‑, out, with onus, a burden, to mean removing a burden—in modern usage, removing the burden of guilt.

CONJECTURE

To guess; especially, to make an educated guess; to form an opinion or make a judgment based on insufficient evidence. - Familiar synonyms of conjecture include to suppose, imagine, suspect, and presume. - To guess, to speculate, to surmise, and to conjecture all mean to form an opinion or reach a conclusion based upon uncertain or insufficient evidence. - To guess is the least reliable and most random of these words. When you guess you have a roughly equal chance of being right or wrong, and there is ample room for doubt about your opinion. - To speculate means to make a judgment based on observation and reasoning. When you speculate you form a reasonable opinion by evaluating whatever facts are at hand, however dubious they may be. - To surmise means to come to a conclusion by using one's intuition or imagination. When you surmise, you use your instinct and power of insight to make a judgment based on slender evidence. - Our keyword, conjecture, comes from the Latin con‑, together, and jacere, to throw, and by derivation means to throw something together. In modern usage to conjecture means to take whatever evidence is available and quickly construct an opinion based on one's knowledge and experience—in short, to make an educated guess. - The corresponding noun a conjecture means an educated guess, an assumption or conclusion based on insufficient evidence.

RECUR

To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time. - In The Careful Writer, Theodore M. Bernstein explains the difference between the words recur and reoccur: Both mean to happen again, he says, but reoccur "suggests a one‑time repetition," whereas recur "suggests repetition more than once." Thus you would say "the revolt is not likely to reoccur," but "as long as these skirmishes recur, the revolt will continue." - Here's another example: If economists predict that a recession will reoccur in this decade, that means they're predicting it will happen only one more time. If economists predict that recession recurs on average every ten years, then they're predicting it happens again and again at intervals. - "It is the ability to feel a fine distinction such as this," writes Bernstein, "and to choose the word that precisely expresses the thought that marks the writer of competence and taste."

EXTEMPORIZE

To improvise, to speak or compose with little or no preparation or practice, perform something in an offhand or unpremeditated way: "She delivered her speech using notes, but during the question‑and‑answer session she extemporized." - To improvise is the general word meaning to make up on the spur of the moment. You can improvise a speech, a tune on the piano, or a plan of action. Extemporize usually refers specifically to speaking in an offhand, spontaneous way. The corresponding adjective extemporaneous means spoken or composed with little or no preparation or practice. - Extemporaneous remarks are impromptu, made up on the spur of the moment.

INTERPOLATE

To insert, introduce; specifically, to insert words into a piece of writing or a conversation. - The corresponding noun is interpolation, an insertion of words into a piece of writing or a conversation. - The verbs to interpolate, interject, and interpose all mean to insert or place between. To interpose suggests the insertion of either a literal or figurative obstacle. You may interpose yourself between two people who are quarreling, or circumstances may interpose an impediment or stumbling block that hinders your progress toward a goal. - To interject suggests an abrupt insertion, and usually refers to speech. You interject an opinion, an idea, or a suggestion. To interpolate suggests a deliberate, careful insertion of words into a piece of writing or a conversation. Word‑processing programs make it easy to delete or interpolate material and reformat what you have written. Interpolate sometimes suggests altering a text by inserting something spurious, unrelated, or unnecessary: Lawyers may insist on interpolating clauses in a contract, or an author may object to an editor's interpolation.

EDIFY

To instruct, improve, teach, enlighten; especially, to instruct or improve intellectually, morally, or spiritually. - Anything that improves the mind, the character, or the spirit can be described as edifying. If you find an experience instructive, eye‑opening, or uplifting, you can say that it edified you or that you found it edifying. You can be edified by a movie, a play, a book, a conversation, by traveling, or by working on an interesting project. As I noted in the first half of the program, if you want to learn more about the world and learn more words, then reading is the best way to edify yourself. But even entertainment can be edifying, although some forms of entertainment, such as watching reruns of "Wheel of Fortune," probably won't edify you at all. - The corresponding noun is edification, which means enlightenment— intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement: "Public libraries exist for the benefit and edification of all people"; "He was a philanthropist devoted not only to the material betterment of less fortunate members of society but also to their edification." - Except when used humorously, the phrase "for your edification" should probably be avoided. It has become a cliché, and often has a condescending overtone.

CONSTRUE

To interpret, explain the meaning or intention of. - Construe comes from the same Latin source as the familiar words construct and construction. One less common meaning of the word construction is an explanation or interpretation; in this sense, to put a construction on something—such as a statement or an action—means to assign a meaning to it, explain its significance or intent. For example, in every case decided by the United States Supreme Court, the role of the justices is to put their particular construction on how the Constitution shall influence the law of the land. - By derivation, the verb to construe means to put a particular construction on something, to interpret it, explain its underlying meaning or intention. - Silence is often construed as agreement. An ambiguous reply is difficult to construe. Some men insist on construing that when a woman says no, she really means yes. If your boss asks you why you were late to work three days in a row, while you dream up an excuse you can buy time by responding, "I'm not sure how to construe your question."

NETTLE

To irritate, annoy, vex, harass, pester, provoke: Their supervisor constantly nettled them about trivial or irrelevant details. - You may be familiar with the plant called the nettle, which has tiny hairs that sting and irritate the skin. The verb to nettle means to sting like a nettle, hence to irritate or annoy. Someone who is nettled is irritated to the point of silent anger or resentment.

WARRANT

To justify, give good reason for, authorize, sanction: the circumstances do not warrant such extraordinary measures; the evidence warrants further investigation; these safety procedures are warranted by company regulations. - Warrant may also mean to guarantee, promise, give formal assurance of: - the Postal Service will not warrant delivery on a specific day; the manufacturer warrants the safety of the product. - The adjective unwarranted means without good reason or authorization, unjustifiable: the U.S. Constitution protects citizens against unwarranted search and seizure; people resent unwarranted government interference in private enterprise.

PALLIATE

To lessen the severity of, gloss over, make something seem less serious or severe, as to palliate suffering, to palliate an offense, or to palliate your troubles with drink. - Synonyms of palliate include soften, diminish, mitigate, and extenuate. - Antonyms include worsen, intensify, aggravate, and exacerbate. Exacerbate and acerbic, keyword 7 in this level, come from the same Latin root, and both suggest bitterness or harshness. The adjective acerbic means sour, bitter, or harsh in flavor, tone, or character. The verb exacerbate means to increase in bitterness or severity, as to exacerbate a problem or exacerbate a conflict. - The verb to palliate comes through the Latin verb palliare, to cloak or conceal, from the noun pallium, a cloak. Palliate was once used to mean to cover as if with a cloak, to shelter, hide, conceal. This meaning is now obsolete, and today palliate means to conceal or cloak the seriousness of something, make it appear less severe or offensive than it is, as to palliate a social indiscretion or palliate the enormity of a crime. - In modern usage, palliate often connotes glossing over or disguising the seriousness of something by making excuses or apologies: "Her press agent issued a statement in an attempt to palliate her role in the scandal."

CIRCUMSCRIBE

To limit, restrict, confine, hem in, fix the boundaries of. - The scribe in circumscribe means to write, draw, and circum‑means around. Literally, circumscribe means to draw a line around, encircle; figuratively, it means to enclose within narrow limits, restrict, confine: the circumscribed routine of daily life; a law that circumscribes certain rights. - You can see the combining form circum‑ at work in many English words. - Circumstance combines circum‑, around, with the Latin stare, to stand, and means literally "that which stands around"; hence, a condition or factor influencing a situation or surrounding an event. Circumcision combines circum‑with incision to mean literally "a cutting around." Circumvent combines circum‑, around, with the Latin venire, to go, and means to go around, bypass, especially in a clever or resourceful way: "She had to circumvent a lot of red tape to get the job done." From this somewhat circumlocutory, or roundabout, discussion, can you guess the meaning of circumnavigate? That's right: It means to navigate or sail around, as to circumnavigate the earth. - Our keyword, circumscribe, means literally to draw a line around; hence, to enclose within narrow limits, fix the boundaries of: "A limited vocabulary can circumscribe your career and undermine your chances for success."

RECONCILE

To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring into harmony or agreement. - Reconcile comes from the Latin reconciliare, to make good again, restore, repair. When estranged partners reconcile, they make their relationship good again by restoring it, repairing what was wrong with it. - When two parties in a dispute reconcile their differences, they settle them and restore friendly relations. The corresponding noun is reconciliation, a settlement, resolution, the act of restoring harmony or agreement. - Reconcile also has two other useful senses. It may mean to bring into agreement, make consistent: "The jury found it hard to reconcile the defendant's confession of guilt the night of the murder with his profession of innocence during the trial." Reconcile may also mean to resign oneself to accept something undesirable: "Nancy didn't want to live with her mother‑in‑law, but she reconciled herself to it and tried to get on with her life."

PROMULGATE

To make known, publish, proclaim, make public in an official manner. - You may pronounce this word with the accent either on the second syllable or on the first. Pruh‑MUHL‑gayt is the original American pronunciation; PRAHM‑ul‑gayt was imported from Britain in the 1920s. - Since the 1960s, PRAHM‑ul‑gayt has steadily eclipsed the traditional pruh‑MUHL‑gayt, and today PRAHM‑ul‑gayt is sanctioned by all dictionaries and preferred by many educated speakers. - Synonyms of promulgate include announce, advertise, broadcast, disseminate, and bruit. All of these words share the meaning of bringing something to the attention of the public, making it widely known. - The verb promulgate has two corresponding nouns: promulgation is the act of making something public or widely known; a promulgator is a person who makes something widely known, who proclaims or publicizes it. - Promulgate comes from the Latin promulgare, to publish, proclaim. The word applies chiefly to making something known in a formal or official way: - the government promulgates a new law or policy; religions promulgate their doctrine or creed; a corporation promulgates its financial status in an annual report to stockholders; and people often promulgate their opinions on radio talk shows and on the editorial pages of the newspaper.

OBFUSCATE

To make obscure, cloud over, darken, make unclear or indistinct. - Synonyms of obfuscate include confuse, complicate, muddle, bewilder, shroud, eclipse, and adumbrate. - Antonyms of obfuscate include expose, unveil, clarify, and elucidate. - The corresponding noun is obfuscation. Have you ever heard the joke‑phrase "Please eschew obfuscation"? That's an ironic way of advising someone to avoid jargon and communicate in clear and simple terms. - Obfuscate comes from the Latin obfuscare, to darken, and by derivation means to deprive of light, make dark or dim. In modern usage obfuscate may mean either to make something obscure or indistinct, or to make it confused, muddled, or unclear. You can obfuscate the truth, obfuscate your meaning, or obfuscate your intentions. Think of obscure when you think of the verb to obfuscate. - Obfuscate may be pronounced ahb‑FUHS‑kayt or AHB‑fuh‑skayt. The latter pronunciation, which has been heard in American speech since the early twentieth century, was originally British. Although AHB‑fuh‑skayt was criticized and called erroneous by authorities of the 1920s and 1930s, it is now fully standard and preferred by many cultivated speakers.

AMELIORATE

To make or become better or more tolerable, improve, amend, correct, reform, rectify, raise the condition or state of. - Ameliorate is used chiefly of improving something that needs help because it is inferior, oppressive, or intolerable. City officials may decide to ameliorate a run‑down neighborhood. A charitable organization may work to ameliorate the hapless condition of the homeless or the poor.

REMONSTRATE

To object, protest, reprove, rebuke, argue or plead against. - To expostulate and to remonstrate are close in meaning. To expostulate suggests an earnest and sometimes passionate attempt to change someone's views or behavior by pleading and argument. - To remonstrate suggests a calmer and more reasoned attempt to show that someone is wrong or blameworthy.

ADDUCE

To offer or cite as a reason, as evidence, or as authority for an opinion or course of action. - By derivation adduce means to bring forward. In modern usage, adduce means to bring forward or cite something as a reason, as an example, or as proof in a discussion, analysis, or argument. Lawyers adduce evidence to bolster their case. Politicians adduce facts to justify their position on an issue. Scholars and scientists adduce the results of their research to prove their theories. In writing a report proposing a new marketing plan for a company, an executive might adduce examples of similar marketing strategies that worked for other companies.

DEFRAY

To pay, provide money for, cover the cost or expenses of. - Pay and defray are synonymous, but they are not interchangeable. You pay for a meal in a restaurant, you don't defray it. You pay your bills, you don't defray them. In current usage defray means to cover the cost or expense of something, especially to provide money for a portion of that cost or expense. For example, you might use an income tax refund to help defray the expense of a trip to Europe. A nonprofit corporation that receives a grant or donation might use it to defray the cost of office equipment and supplies.

CULL

To pick out, select from various sources, gather, collect. - Cull comes from the Latin colligere, to gather, the source also of the familiar words collect and collection. - The verbs to cull and to glean are close in meaning. - Glean was originally used in farming to mean to gather up the stray bits and pieces of a crop that remained after the reapers or gatherers had done their work. From that sense, glean came to mean to collect or gather mentally, especially to learn or discover something bit by bit, in a laborious fashion: the investigator gathers facts to glean information; the historian gleans knowledge about the past by studying old records and documents. - The unusual noun a cull means something picked out or rejected as inferior or worthless, and in its original sense the verb to cull means to eliminate culls, as to cull livestock, to separate inferior specimens from the herd, or to cull lumber, to pick out and remove defective pieces. From that sense, cull came to mean to pick out so as to collect and keep, to select with an eye for retaining rather than rejecting. - Today we speak of culling useful information or culling ideas, meaning we gather that information or those ideas from various sources. When you cull flowers from a garden you select and gather them, and when you cull interesting words from reading, you pick them out and collect them in your mind.

JUXTAPOSE

To place side by side or close together, especially so as to compare or contrast. - The first half of the word juxtapose comes from the Latin juxta, which means "near, close by." The second half, ‑pose, comes from the Latin ponere, to put, place, the source also of the familiar word position and the more challenging word posit. To posit means to put forward as true, set down as a fact, as the Declaration of Independence posits that "all men are created equal." By derivation the verb to juxtapose means "to place near, put close by." - When you juxtapose two or more things you place them side by side, usually for the purpose of comparing or contrasting them. Painters often juxtapose colors for a striking effect; philosophers and scientists juxtapose ideas so as to evaluate them; a consumer might juxtapose two products, place them side by side, to decide which one is better. - The corresponding noun is juxtaposition.

PROGNOSTICATE

To predict; especially, to predict from signs, symptoms, or present indications. - Synonyms of prognosticate include foretell, forecast, foresee, prophesy, presage, and vaticinate. - Prognosticate comes through Latin from Greek, and by derivation means "a knowing beforehand, foreknowledge." From the same source we inherit several related words. - Prognostic, used as a noun, means an indication of something in the future. Used as an adjective, prognostic means pertaining to or serving as the basis of a prediction, as prognostic powers or prognostic evidence. - The noun prognostication means a prediction, prophecy, forecast, as the prognostications of economists are not always reliable. - Prognosticator is a lofty word for "a person who makes predictions." If you want to be grandiloquent, you could say the reporter who does your local weather forecast is a prognosticator, or that a coworker who is always making predictions about affairs in the office is the office prognosticator. - Finally, the useful noun prognosis means a prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disease or medical condition. - Prognosis and diagnosis should be sharply distinguished. A diagnosis is an assessment of a medical condition. When you ask your doctor, "What's the diagnosis?" you are asking for the doctor's opinion of what is wrong based on a clinical analysis of signs and symptoms. When you ask your doctor, "What's the prognosis?" you are asking the doctor to predict the likely course and outcome of the condition based on whatever treatment is administered—in other words, to tell you whether the problem will get better or worse. In short, a diagnosis describes the nature of the medical condition; a prognosis predicts its likely course and outcome. - Our keyword, prognosticate, means to make a prognosis or prediction. - Prognosticate applies especially to the act of predicting from signs, symptoms, or present indications. Political pundits attempt to prognosticate the outcome of an election. Financial analysts prognosticate trends in the stock market. Your horoscope in the newspaper purports to prognosticate from the alignment of the planets what may lie in store for you that day.

MALINGER

To pretend to be sick or incapacitated so as to avoid work or duty; to shirk or dodge responsibility by feigning illness or inability. - Don't be misled by the presence of the word linger in malinger. Despite what some people mistakenly believe, to malinger does not mean to linger, loiter, or hang around in a shiftless or threatening way. Although you might hear or read about "drug pushers malingering near schoolyards" or "homeless people malingering downtown," don't believe it. Those people may be loitering, but they are definitely not malingering, for malinger means to pretend to be sick or incapacitated so as to avoid work or duty. - The verb to malinger comes from a French word meaning sickly, ailing, infirm, and is apparently related to the word malady, which means an illness or affliction. The corresponding noun is malingerer, a person who malingers. - When malinger and malingerer entered English in the early 1800s, they were used of soldiers and sailors who shirked their duty by pretending to be sick. Of course, malingering is popular among the entire workforce, not just members of the military, so it wasn't long before malinger and malingerer came to be used of anyone who dodges work or responsibility by feigning illness or inability.

PRECLUDE

To prevent, make impossible, exclude or shut off all possibility of something happening. - Synonyms of preclude include avert, obviate, and forestall. Antonyms include incite, instigate, and engender. - Preclude comes from the Latin prae‑, meaning "before," and claudere, to shut, close up. By derivation preclude means to take steps beforehand to shut off or close the door on something. - In modern usage, preclude suggests preventing something by excluding or shutting off all possibility of its happening: Immunization can preclude many fatal diseases. An alarm system may decrease the chance that your car will be stolen, but it will not preclude it. The framers of the U.S. - Constitution adopted the Bill of Rights as a means of precluding the passage of any law that would infringe upon or abrogate the basic rights of citizens in a democracy.

OBVIATE

To prevent, make unnecessary, meet and dispose of, clear out of the way. - Obviate comes through the Latin verb obviare, to prevent, from the adjective obvius, in the way, the source also of the familiar English word obvious, which means literally "lying in the way." The verb to obviate suggests preventing a problem or difficulty from arising by anticipating it and taking effective measures to meet and dispose of it or clear it out of the way. You can obviate trivial objections by coming straight to the point. - You can obviate a trial by settling out of court. The necessity of attending a meeting can be obviated by a timely phone call.

GOAD

To prod or urge to action, stimulate, arouse, stir up. - Synonyms of the verb to goad include to egg on, spur, incite, impel, and instigate. Antonyms of goad include soothe, pacify, appease, assuage, and mollify. - The noun a goad is a pointed stick used to prod animals and get them to move. From that sense goad also came to mean a stimulus, spur, incitement, anything that urges or drives something on. The verb to goad literally means to prick or drive with a goad; hence, to prod or urge to action. - Someone can goad you to work harder, goad you to admit a fault or mistake, or goad you to the point of irritation or anger. In Measure for Measure, Shakespeare writes, "Most dangerous is that temptation that doth goad us on...."

PROSCRIBE

To prohibit, forbid, outlaw: "The city council passed an ordinance proscribing the sale or possession of handguns"; "In certain societies, the practice of bigamy is not proscribed." - Synonyms of proscribe include ban, denounce, disallow, condemn, censure, ostracize, expatriate, and interdict. Antonyms include permit, tolerate, legalize, authorize, and sanction. - Proscribe comes from the Latin proscribere, to post or publish the name of an outlaw or a person to be banished or put to death. By derivation, that which is proscribed is outlawed, not permitted, denounced, or condemned. - Be careful to distinguish the verbs to proscribe and to prescribe, which are opposite in meaning. Proscribe begins with pro‑ and is pronounced proh‑SKRYB. Prescribe begins with pre‑ and is pronounced pri‑SKRYB. A doctor may prescribe a certain drug, advise you to take it, or proscribe saturated fats, advise you to eliminate them from your diet. A prescription is an order to do something. A proscription is an order not to do it, a prohibition.

CASTIGATE

To punish or criticize severely. - Synonyms of castigate include chasten, chastise, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, and censure. - Antonyms of castigate include approve, reward, praise, commend, laud, extol, and eulogize. - The verbs to chasten, to chastise, and to castigate all mean to punish in slightly different ways. - Chasten is related to the word chaste, pure, and by derivation to chasten means to punish in order to purify or make chaste. In modern usage chasten usually suggests purifying by subjecting to harsh discipline, inflicting pain or suffering to improve the character of someone or something. Military recruits are chastened during basic training; a preacher may chasten a congregation for its sinful ways; a mild heart attack may chasten the workaholic to slow down and take better care of himself. You may also chasten your mind or chasten your style, purify or subdue it by subjecting it to harsh discipline. - The verb to chastise was once used as a dignified word for inflicting corporal punishment—in other words, to punish by whipping or beating. In the nineteenth century, teachers were permitted—and often expected—to chastise students who misbehaved in class, and for much of the twentieth century, before the concept of the "time‑out" became popular, spanking was considered an acceptable way of disciplining a naughty or obstreperous child. - Today chastise may still be used to mean to inflict corporal punishment, but more often the word suggests administering a strong verbal rebuke. - When a teacher chastises a student today, it's with harsh words, not a hickory stick. The corresponding noun chastisement may be pronounced either CHAS‑tiz‑ment or chas‑TYZ‑ment. CHAS‑tiz‑ment is the traditional pronunciation; chas‑TYZ‑ment has been recognized by American dictionaries since the late 1940s. - Castigate comes from the Latin castigare, to punish with words or blows. - Like chastise, castigate was once used of corporal punishment, but today the word is nearly always used to mean to beat up verbally, criticize severely, especially to subject to harsh public criticism. Politicians often castigate their opponents during a campaign. Some reviewers may praise a book for its controversial ideas, while others may castigate it. If the boss reads you the riot act in front of the whole office, consider yourself castigated. The corresponding noun is castigation, as "a pugnacious radio talk show host with a vicious penchant for castigation."

ALLUDE

To refer to something indirectly, make a casual reference. - Synonyms of allude include suggest, hint, insinuate, and intimate. Antonyms include indicate, specify, detail, and enumerate. - To allude and to refer are synonymous but differ markedly in usage. To refer is to mention something specifically, point it out distinctly: The Declaration of Independence refers to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as "unalienable rights." To allude is to refer to something indirectly or casually, without mentioning it. A political candidate might allude that an opponent has a skeleton in the closet. In a report or proposal you might allude to a study that supports your point without citing it directly. - Someone who is afraid of heights might allude to a disturbing childhood experience as the source of the phobia. - The corresponding noun is allusion. An allusion is an indirect, casual, or passing reference: "The novel contains many allusions to Shakespeare"; "Only by allusion did the article suggest that the company was in financial trouble."

ASSUAGE

To relieve, ease, allay, mitigate, make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease, make content. - When you assuage someone's grief, assuage someone's anger, assuage someone's pain, or assuage someone's fears, you relieve those conditions, allay them, make them less severe or intense. When you assuage your hunger or thirst, you relieve it by providing food or drink. - When you assuage a need or desire, you satisfy it by procuring what is needed or desired. - Assuage is sometimes mispronounced uh‑SWAYZH or uh‑SWAHZH. - These recent variants have made their way into a few current dictionaries, but the traditional and proper pronunciation, countenanced by all dictionaries, is uh‑SWAYJ.

WAIVE

To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo. - To relinquish implies giving up something one doesn't want to part with, either out of necessity or because one has been compelled or forced: to relinquish possession, to relinquish command. To waive implies a voluntary refusal to insist on one's right or claim to something: to waive one's right to a trial by jury; to waive one's claim on a title or property. - Waive may also mean to postpone, defer, or dispense with, as to waive discussion, or to waive formalities and get on with business.

VENERATE

To respect deeply, revere, regard with awe and adoration. - In a strict sense, to venerate means to regard as holy or sacred; to revere means to regard with great respect and honor. We revere great leaders, thinkers, and artists; we venerate holy persons, sacred writings, and religious or moral principles. - The adjective venerable, worthy of veneration, of being venerated, is more loosely applied. It is often used of something or someone old or long‑established: a venerable tradition is an old and deeply respected tradition; a venerable cause is longstanding and worthy of profound respect.

EFFACE

To rub out, wipe out, obliterate, erase, expunge: "Time gradually effaced the memory of the tragedy." - To efface may also mean to make oneself inconspicuous, keep oneself out of the limelight: "During the celebration, he effaced himself so his partner would get all the attention." The self‑effacing person stays in the background and behaves in a modest, retiring fashion. - Take care to distinguish the words deface and efface. To deface means to spoil the appearance of, ruin, disfigure, mar. To efface means to rub out, wipe out, erase, or to withdraw from notice, make oneself inconspicuous.

PONTIFICATE

To speak in a pompous and overbearing way, make pretentious or categorical statements, express one's opinion as though it were an official, authoritative decree. - The Roman Catholic pope is also known by two other names: the Bishop of Rome and the pontiff. Pontiff comes from the Latin Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Rome. As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the pontiff is responsible for interpreting religious doctrine, or dogma, and issuing official decrees, called papal bulls. To these official decrees the pontiff affixes a seal called a bulla. - In its original sense, to pontificate means to be a pontiff, to fulfill the office of a pope and issue official decrees on church doctrine or dogma. - From this the word came to apply in a disparaging way to anyone who speaks as if he were the pope issuing an official decree. - Because only the pontiff has the absolute right to pontificate, pontificate now means to express opinions or make judgments in a categorical, dogmatic way. I'll save you the trouble of looking up dogmatic, which is pronounced dawg‑MAT‑ik. It means opinionated, dictatorial, expressing an opinion as if it were fact. - If your boss pontificates in a meeting, that means he or she is speaking dogmatically, in a pompous, pretentious, dictatorial manner. The person who pontificates expresses an opinion as though it were an official, authoritative decree: "Teenagers don't respond well when their parents or teachers pontificate." - The corresponding noun is pontification.

EXPEDITE

To speed up, hasten, facilitate, accelerate the progress of, handle or perform quickly and efficiently: "The company decided to expand its workforce to expedite production of its new product." - Antonyms of expedite include delay, postpone, hinder, retard, slacken, and protract. - Expedite comes from the Latin verb expedire, to set free, disentangle, get ready for action. When you expedite something, you free it from all hindrances or obstructions; you disentangle it from whatever is delaying its progress so that action can proceed. In current usage, when you expedite a plan or a project it means you speed up its progress, hasten its completion. - And when the boss says to you, "Please expedite the matter," that means the boss wants you to take care of the matter as quickly and efficiently as possible.

AVER

To state positively, declare with confidence. - Synonyms of the verb to aver include assert, affirm, avow, profess, contend, and asseverate. - To state means to express something in an explicit and usually formal manner. You state your answer or state your opinion. To declare means to state publicly or out loud, sometimes in the face of opposition. You declare your intentions, declare your position, or declare your independence. To assert means to declare forcefully or boldly, either with or without proof. - You assert a belief or assert your rights. To asseverate means to declare in a solemn, earnest manner. Lawyers asseverate their claims in court, professors asseverate their theories from a lectern, and preachers asseverate their spiritual advice from the pulpit. To affirm means to state with conviction, declare as a fact based on one's knowledge or experience. - You can affirm the truth, affirm your presence, or affirm the existence of something. Our keyword, to aver, means to state positively and decisively, with complete confidence that what one says is true. You can aver that you have never disobeyed the law; you can aver that you have always paid all your taxes on time; you can aver that you have never used alcohol or drugs; and you can aver that there is life on the planet Mars. Of course, if you aver all that, then other people probably will aver that you are either lying or off your nut, so it's always wise to watch what you aver, state positively, declare with confidence.

PECULATE

To steal, embezzle; specifically, to steal or misuse money or property entrusted to one's care. - To peculate and to defalcate both mean to embezzle, to steal from or appropriate that which has been entrusted to one's care. - Defalcate by derivation means to cut off with a sickle; hence, to misappropriate funds by fraudulently deducting a portion of them for one's own use. - Although peculate comes from the Latin peculium, which means "private property," in current usage the word usually refers to the embezzlement of public or corporate funds, or property entrusted to one's care: "For twenty‑five years old Barney balanced the books for the city, and just when he was about to retire with a good pension they caught him peculating from the public trough." - The corresponding noun is peculation, the act of peculating.

SURFEIT

To supply, fill, or feed to excess, especially to the point of discomfort, sickness, or disgust. - Synonyms of surfeit include sate and satiate, which may mean either to fill or supply to satisfaction or to fill or supply beyond what is necessary or desired. Additional synonyms include stuff, cram, glut, gorge, choke, inundate, and cloy. - The verb to surfeit is derived from Middle English and Old French words meaning to overdo, exceed, and in modern usage surfeit means to feed, fill, or stuff to the point of discomfort, sickness, or disgust. You can surfeit yourself on a Thanksgiving feast. You can surfeit yourself with booze. You can watch episodes of the "Three Stooges" until you are surfeited with slapstick humor. Or you can read Verbal Advantage until your brain is surfeited with words. - The corresponding noun surfeit, pronounced the same way, is most often used to mean an excess or oversupply, as a surfeit of praise or a surfeit of products on the market.

ADVOCATE

To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause. Synonyms include champion, endorse, and espouse. - Advocate comes from the Latin ad‑, to, and vocare, to call, summon. You can hear the Latin vocare in the English words vocation, a calling, profession; avocation, a hobby, sideline, subordinate occupation; and vocational, pertaining to an occupation or trade. - Combine the Latin vocare, to call, with the prefix con‑, together, and you get the more difficult English words convoke, which means to call together, and convocation, the act of calling together or a group that has been summoned. Combine the single‑letter prefix e‑, which is short for the Latin ex‑, out, with vocare, to call, and you get the English words evoke, to call out, call forth, summon, and evocative, calling forth a response, especially an emotional response. - Vocare also can be heard in the common word vocal, spoken, oral, inclined to speak out. - An advocate is a vocal supporter or defender of a cause, a champion: - "He is an outspoken advocate of handgun control." An advocate may also be a person who speaks for another, for example, a lawyer who pleads a case before a court. To advocate means to support, plead for, defend by argument: "Their organization advocates educational reform."

COMMISERATE

To sympathize, feel or express sympathy, show sorrow or pity for. - A somewhat unusual synonym of commiserate is the verb to condole, which means to grieve in sympathy, express condolence. - To commiserate comes from a Latin verb meaning to pity, and by derivation commiserate means to share someone else's misery. - Commiserate is often followed by with: "When Sally lost her job, her coworkers commiserated with her."

LACERATE

To tear, cut roughly, rend, mangle: "The sharp thorn lacerated his thumb." - Lacerate may also be used figuratively to mean to wound, afflict, cause pain: "Her husband's vicious retort lacerated her pride and made her burst into tears."

TRANSMUTE

To transform; specifically, to change from one nature, form, or substance into another, especially to a higher, better, or more refined one. - The verb transmute combines the prefix trans‑, meaning "across" or "beyond," with the Latin mutare, to change. Literally, transmute means "to change across the board" or "to change something beyond what it is." - Transmute was once used in the primitive science of alchemy, which preceded modern chemistry, to refer to the changing of base metals or common elements into a higher form, as to transmute iron into gold. Today the word is used generally to mean to completely change the nature or substance of something, especially to change it to a more refined or more desirable state: You can transmute an idea into a reality, transmute sorrow into joy, or make a modest investment that over thirty years transmutes into a substantial nest egg for retirement.

IMPORTUNE

To trouble or annoy with requests or demands, make urgent or persistent entreaties or solicitations. - To remember the meaning of the verb importune, think of some annoying person who interrupts your life at an inappropriate moment and urgently asks you to do something you don't want to do. Salespeople importune you on the telephone when you're not interested and have better things to do. - Panhandlers importune you on the street to beg for a handout. Children are experts at importuning parents when they are preoccupied with work or some pressing domestic chore, like cooking or paying bills. - The corresponding adjective is importunate, troublesomely demanding, persistent in a vexatious way.

RUMINATE

To turn over in the mind, think about again and again, consider carefully or at length. - Synonyms of ruminate include to ponder, contemplate, meditate, deliberate, muse, cogitate, and mull. - The etymology of the verb to ruminate may surprise you. It comes from the Latin ruminare, to chew the cud, and by derivation means to chew over and over again. In the science of zoology the word ruminant is used of animals that chew their cud, such as cows, oxen, sheep, goats, deer, giraffes, and camels. These ruminant creatures have multichambered stomachs, the first chamber of which is called the rumen. When a ruminant chews its cud, it is chewing food that has been swallowed, partially digested in the rumen, and then regurgitated into the mouth for thorough mastication. By a logical extension, the verb to ruminate has come to mean to chew the cud mentally, to regurgitate a thought and turn it over and over in the mind. - Just as we often say that we chew on something, we often say that we ruminate on something: "Aging athletes may ruminate on the triumphs of their youth"; "When John heard the rumor of impending layoffs, he went back to his office and ruminated on his future with the company."

ADMONISH

To warn or notify of a fault or error, especially in conduct or attitude; to criticize or reprove gently but earnestly. - Synonyms of admonish include advise, counsel, caution, apprise, exhort, and expostulate. The corresponding noun is admonishment, a gentle warning or mild criticism. - To admonish comes from the Latin verb admonere, to warn, remind; the word suggests putting someone in mind of something he has forgotten, done wrong, or disregarded by giving him a strong but gently expressed warning or reminder. You can admonish an employee for tardiness or for overlooking an error; you can admonish a small child to obey a rule; or you can admonish a friend who is working too hard to take it easy.

VACILLATE

To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one's mind: The strong leader is decisive; the weak leader vacillates. - Vacillate comes from a Latin verb meaning to sway to and fro. When you vacillate you go back and forth mentally on an issue or question. The person or group that vacillates has difficulty coming to a conclusion or expressing a firm opinion.

ENERVATE

To weaken, drain of energy, deprive of force or vigor. - Synonyms of enervate include exhaust, deplete, devitalize, and debilitate. Antonyms include energize, invigorate, stimulate, revive, enliven, animate, vitalize, and fortify. - Whenever I am asked to appear on a radio show to discuss language or speak to a group about vocabulary building, I like to point out that the simple act of reading is probably the best yet most underrated method of building word power. If you want to learn more words, then you should read more and study words in context; at the same time, however, when you come across a word you don't know, or a word you think you know, it's essential that you make the effort to look it up in a dictionary, because the context can often be misleading or ambiguous. - To illustrate that point, I like to relate an anecdote about a woman—the mother of a teenager—who came to one of the author signings for my book Tooth and Nail, a vocabulary‑building mystery novel designed to teach high school students the words they need to know for the Scholastic Assessment Test. - "I think your idea of teaching vocabulary in the context of a story is great," the woman told me. "I can almost always figure out what a word means from context, and I hardly ever need to use a dictionary." - Whenever people assert that they can guess what a word means or that they rarely need to use a dictionary, I see a big red flag with the words "verbally disadvantaged" on it. - I looked at the woman and said, "I always encourage people to check the dictionary definition of a word, even if it's a word they think they know. It's not always so easy to guess what a word means from context, because the context doesn't always reveal the meaning. May I give you an example?" - "Sure," the woman said, confident of her ability to guess what words mean and unaware of my devilish plot to expose that practice as a fallacy. - "All right," I said. "I'll give you a word in the context of a complete sentence, and you tell me what the word means. Here's the sentence: 'After her exciting night on the town, she felt enervated.' Can you tell me what enervated means?" - The woman frowned, realizing that she had volunteered to go wading in verbal quicksand. "Um, well, I guess if her night on the town was exciting, she must have felt stimulated, or keyed‑up, or maybe energized. Is that what enervated means?" - Coldhearted inquisitor and unflinching defender of the language that I am, I told her the truth. Because enervate sounds like energize, many people are tempted to think the words are synonymous when in fact they are antonyms. From my sample sentence, "After her exciting night on the town, she felt enervated," if you don't know precisely what enervated means there's no way you can guess because the context is ambiguous—it's vague and capable of being interpreted in more than one way. - The point is, as I've said several times before in this program, if you want to build a large and exact vocabulary, don't rely only on context or on your intuition or on someone else's definition of a word. When you have even a shred of doubt about a word, look it up. It won't cost you anything to do that, and no one's going to peer over your shoulder and say, "Hey, what's the matter, stupid? You don't know what enervated means?" On the other hand, someone might say "Whoa, get a load of Verbal Advantage‑head digging through the dictionary again." - If something like that should ever happen, you can throw the book at the person—literally—but why ruin a good dictionary? Instead, you can rest easy in the knowledge that the insolent dullard already is eating your intellectual dust—for you, as a verbally advantaged person, know that reading, consulting a dictionary, and studying this book will invigorate, not enervate, your mind. - To enervate means to weaken, drain of energy, deprive of force or vigor. - The corresponding adjective is enervated, lacking energy, drained of vitality or strength.

CAPITULATE

To yield, surrender; specifically, to surrender on specified terms or conditions. - The verbs to capitulate and to decapitate both come ultimately from the Latin caput, capitis, which means "the head." Decapitate sticks literally to its root and means to cut off the head. Capitulate has sprouted from its root and means to list the terms of surrender under various headings in a document. - Although some current dictionaries define capitulate as "to surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms," in precise usage capitulate means to yield or surrender only on stipulated terms, although the terms do not necessarily have to be drawn up in a document. - When armies or nations capitulate, they specify the conditions under which they will surrender. When people accused of a crime accept a plea bargain, they capitulate by stipulating the terms under which they will yield to the prosecution and accept a conviction. And when two parties come to terms in a dispute, you can be sure that one party is the victor and the other has capitulated. - The corresponding noun is capitulation, the act of surrendering or yielding on specified terms or conditions.

INFINITESIMAL

Too small to be measured or calculated. - Synonyms of infinitesimal include tiny, minute, microscopic, and minuscule. And speaking of minuscule—and strictly speaking—this word is traditionally and properly pronounced with the stress on the second syllable: mi‑NUHS‑kyool. The pronunciation MIN‑uh‑SKYOOL, now common among educated speakers, probably came about as a result of the persistent misspelling of the word as miniscule, as though it began with the prefix mini‑. This misspelling is now so widespread that most current dictionaries list it as a variant without comment, and many also give priority to the pronunciation with first‑syllable stress. I would argue, however, that the alternative spelling and pronunciation not only are at variance with the word's history but are also, quite frankly, idiotic. - Minuscule comes from the Latin minusculus, somewhat small. Look in any dictionary and you will see that the noun minuscule refers to a small, cursive script used in medieval manuscripts. - From that sense it came to denote either a small or lowercase letter or something printed in lowercase letters. The adjective minuscule originally meant pertaining to that small medieval script or consisting of small letters; its antonym in this sense is majuscule, which means written in capital letters. By natural extension minuscule also came to mean tiny, very small. - Our misspellings often mimic our mispronunciations, and in this case the evidence suggests that minuscule—probably from association with the words minimum, minimal, and miniature—came to be mispronounced MIN‑uh‑ SKYOOL and then later misspelled with the prefix mini‑, which means small. - Today the variant MIN‑uh‑SKYOOL is so popular that I can't in good conscience tell you that it's wrong, but I can at least admonish and implore you to spell the word properly. There is no mini‑ in minuscule, and even if you choose to say MIN‑uh‑SKYOOL, for goodness' sake remember that when you write the word it should be spelled like minus plus ‑cule. - Well, now that we've straightened out that minuscule but not insignificant point of usage, I'm afraid that we've lost track of our keyword, infinitesimal. - Of course, that's not surprising because this rather large, thirteen‑letter word means infinitely small and applies to that which is smaller than you can imagine. Unlike the words tiny, minute, and minuscule, which simply mean very small, and unlike microscopic, which means too small to be seen without a microscrope, infinitesimal is smaller still, and means specifically too small to be measured or calculated. - Occasionally you will come across a writer or speaker who is unaware of the specific meaning of infinitesimal and who uses it loosely. For example, in your local newspaper you might see a sentence like this: "Scientists detected an infinitesimal amount of mercury and lead in the city's tap water." Because infinitesimal properly applies to that which is too small to be measured or even detected, that sentence should read like this: "In a test of the city's tap water, scientists determined that if mercury and lead were present, the amounts were infinitesimal."

WRY

Twisted, crooked, lopsided, askew, distorted in an odd, amusing way. - By derivation wry means twisted, but in modern usage it has come to imply twisted in a peculiar and often humorous manner. - A wry smile or grin is crooked, lopsided, and therefore comical. A wry remark has a funny or sarcastic twist to it. A person with a wry sense of humor is capable of twisting or distorting things in a laughable way.

INIMITABLE

Unable to be imitated, copied, or reproduced; beyond compare. - Synonyms of inimitable include matchless, unrivaled, peerless, unparalleled, and surpassing. - The prefix in‑often means "in" or "into," as in the words inhale, to breathe in; ingrain, to rub in, fix in the mind; and ingress, the way in, the entrance. However, in‑ is just as often privative; that is, it deprives or takes away the meaning of the word to which it is affixed. Like the prefix un‑, the prefix in‑ often means "not," as in the words informal, not formal; inaudible, not audible, unable to be heard; and injustice, something that is not fair or just. Our keyword, inimitable, combines this privative prefix in‑ with the somewhat unusual word imitable, able to be imitated, to mean "not able to be imitated." - You may use inimitable to describe anything that is one‑of‑a‑kind, individual, unique. An inimitable style cannot be imitated or copied. An inimitable performance is unrivaled, incomparable. An inimitable achievement surpasses all other achievements; it is matchless, beyond compare.

AMBIVALENT

Uncertain, indecisive, having conflicting feelings or desires, simultaneously drawn in opposite directions, attracted to and repulsed by something at the same time. - The corresponding noun is ambivalence, a state of uncertainty or indecisiveness. - One meaning of the combining form ambi‑ is "both," as in the words ambidextrous, skilled with both hands, and ambivert, a person who is both introverted, inner‑directed, and extroverted, outer‑directed. Ambivalent combines ambi‑, both, with the Latin valere, to be strong. When you are ambivalent on an issue, you have strong feelings both ways; you are simultaneously drawn in opposite directions. The ambivalent person has conflicting feelings or desires, and therefore is uncertain, indecisive.

AMBIGUOUS

Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or indefinite meaning. - By derivation, ambiguous means having two or more possible meanings, capable of being understood in more than one way. An ambiguous intention is uncertain, difficult to determine, and therefore questionable, dubious. An ambiguous statement is puzzling because it can be interpreted in more than one way; it is unclear and indefinite. - More difficult synonyms of ambiguous include enigmatic, cryptic, and equivocal. Antonyms of ambiguous include distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, and manifest.

NEBULOUS

Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct. - In astronomy the word nebula refers to a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space. The plural is nebulae. - The adjectives nebular and nebulous both come from a Latin word meaning cloudy, misty, foggy, like a nebula, and according to dictionaries both words may still be used in this sense. It is probably best, however, to let nebular take over the meaning cloudy, misty, vaporous, and to use nebulous in its more popular sense of vague, indefinite, hazy, unclear, as in nebulous writing, a nebulous idea, a nebulous purpose or goal.

INTRANSIGENT

Uncompromising, refusing to come to an agreement, unwilling to modify one's position or give ground. - Synonyms of intransigent include irreconcilable, unyielding, diehard, hidebound, obstinate, resolute, tenacious, recalcitrant, intractable, refractory, and obdurate. - Antonyms include compromising, flexible, obliging, submissive, compliant, malleable, docile, tractable, deferential, acquiescent, and complaisant. - Intransigent combines the privative prefix in‑, meaning "not," with the Latin verb transigere, to come to a settlement, and means literally refusing to settle, unwilling to come to an agreement, uncompromising. - Resolute, tenacious, obstinate, intractable, refractory, obdurate, and intransigent suggest firmness or fixity in ascending intensity. The resolute person is firmly settled in opinion, resolved to pursue a course of action. - Tenacious, which comes from the Latin tenere, to hold, suggests holding firmly; the tenacious person adheres persistently and sometimes doggedly to a belief or course of action. Obstinate implies stubborn adherence to an opinion or purpose and strong resistance to contrary influence or persuasion. Intractable means hard to lead or manage; the intractable person stubbornly resists direction. Refractory means stubborn and disobedient; a refractory person actively resists authority or control. - Obdurate means stubbornly hardhearted; the obdurate person cannot be moved by appeals to the emotions. - Our keyword, intransigent, combines the firmness of resolute, the persistence of tenacious, the stubborn resistance of obstinate, intractable, and refractory, and the hardheartedness of obdurate. The intransigent person takes an extreme position and will not compromise or back down under any circumstances.

UNPRECEDENTED

Unheard‑of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example. - A precedent is an authoritative example, something done or said that may serve as a reason to justify a later act or statement. Precedent is often used specifically of a legal decision or case used as an example or as authorization in a subsequent decision or case. Unprecedented means without a precedent, without prior example or justification, and so unheard‑of, novel, new.

CATHOLIC

Universal, all‑inclusive, all‑embracing, comprehensive; specifically, broad‑minded, tolerant, or all‑embracing in one's sympathies, interests, or tastes. - Catholic, with a capital C, refers to the Roman Catholic Church, to the religion of Catholicism, or to a member of the Catholic Church. The word catholic, with a small or lowercase c, has nothing to do with religion. It comes directly from Latin and Greek words meaning universal, general, and suggests a broad‑minded, tolerant, all‑embracing outlook on life. - Synonyms of catholic include open‑minded, liberal, ecumenical, and latitudinarian. - Antonyms include narrow‑minded, bigoted, biased, intolerant, dogmatic, and parochial. - Ecumenical and catholic both mean universal, general, whole. - Ecumenical often refers specifically to religious universality, and especially to that which furthers or is intended to further the unity of Christian churches or unity among religions. Catholic is the general word for universal in one's personal outlook, broad‑minded in one's sympathies or tastes. The catholic person is "not narrow‑minded, partial, or bigoted," says the Century Dictionary, but possesses "a mind that appreciates all truth, or a spirit that appreciates all that is good."

CAPRICIOUS

Unpredictable, tending to change abruptly for no apparent or logical reason. - Synonyms of capricious include flighty, changeable, impulsive, and fickle. More difficult synonyms include erratic, whimsical, volatile, and mercurial. - A caprice is a sudden change of mind or change in the emotions. A person or a thing that is capricious is subject to caprices—to abrupt, unpredictable changes: "He's so capricious, his mood changes with the wind"; "New England has a capricious climate"; "The stock market is notoriously capricious." - Did you notice that my recommended pronunciation for capricious is kuh‑PRISH‑us, the second syllable rhyming with wish? You will hear educated speakers say kuh‑PREE‑shus, a pronunciation based on the corresponding noun caprice. This variant has been recognized by American dictionaries since the 1960s. But authorities have preferred kuh‑PRISH‑us since the 18th century, when pronunciation was first recorded. Current American dictionaries list kuh‑PRISH‑us first, and it is the only pronunciation in the Oxford English Dictionary. Have you ever heard anyone put an E in the middle of suspicious, judicious, or avaricious? Rhyme capricious with delicious.

ARBITRARY

Unreasoned, based on personal feelings or preferences rather than on reason, logic, or law: "An arbitrary price for a product is not necessarily a fair price"; "His arbitrary decisions have cost the company a lot of money." - Arbitrary comes from the same Latin source as the words arbiter and arbitrator. Arbiter and arbitrator both mean a judge or umpire who makes a final decision or resolves a dispute. - Arbitrary means making discretionary judgments or decisions that may or may not be fair or reasonable. - Arbitrary has two other useful meanings. It may mean determined or arrived at in a random or illogical manner. For example, the arrangement of furniture in a room may be arbitrary, without an evident theme or pattern; arbitrary decisions are arrived at in a hasty, haphazard way. Arbitrary may also mean exercising unrestrained or absolute power: an arbitrary government has no regard for individual liberty.

TACIT

Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words. - Tacit is most often used to mean done or made in silence, not expressed or declared openly. Tacit consent is approval given without words, perhaps with a look or a nod. A tacit agreement is an unspoken understanding, one arrived at in silence. Tacit comes from the Latin tacere, to be silent, hold one's tongue, the source also of the word taciturn, reserved, uncommunicative, inclined to hold one's tongue.

UNSCRUPULOUS

Untrustworthy, dishonorable, deceitful, corrupt, lacking integrity or moral principles: "The commission issued a report on unscrupulous business practices in the industry." - A scruple is something that causes hesitation or doubt in determining what is appropriate and proper. Scrupulous means having scruples; hence, taking pains to do something exactly right. The scrupulous person is precise, careful, and honest. Unscrupulous means without scruples; hence, untrustworthy, unreliable, deceitful, and corrupt. Unscrupulous people will do almost anything, no matter how dishonorable, to get what they want.

ADAMANT

Unyielding, immovable, inflexible, refusing to give in, unshakable, unrelenting, implacable. "She was adamant in her opposition to the plan." - The adjective adamant comes from the noun adamant, which refers to a hard substance or stone, such as a diamond, that in ancient times was believed to be unbreakable. There is an old word adamantine, still listed in current dictionaries but not often used; it means like adamant, very hard, unbreakable. The adjective adamant, which has replaced adamantine in current usage, means hard in the sense of inflexible, immovable, unyielding.

LACONIC

Using few words, briefly and often bluntly expressed. - Laconic comes from the Greek lakonikos, a Spartan, a resident of the ancient city state of Sparta, which was renowned for its austere and warlike people. By derivation laconic refers to the Spartans' reputation for rigorous self‑discipline and reticence. - Synonyms of laconic include succinct, concise, terse, and pithy. We discussed some of these words earlier in this level, under terse, but it's worth going over them again so you can clearly distinguish their meanings. - Succinct means expressed in the briefest, most compressed way possible: a succinct update on the issue. Concise implies expression that is free from all superfluous words: a concise letter of resignation. Terse adds to concise the suggestion of pointedness and polish: a terse presentation. Pithy refers to concise expression that is full of meaning and substance, that is both brief and profound: pithy advice. - Laconic expression may be either terse or pithy, but it also implies an abruptness that can seem brusque or indifferent. Julius Caesar's three‑word pronouncement, "Veni, vidi, vici", is one of the most famous laconic statements of all time. There is also the anecdote about Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United States, who was legendary for his taciturnity, extreme reluctance to speak. As the story goes, someone once approached Coolidge and said, "Mr. President, I bet I can make you say more than three words." Without hesitating or even cracking a smile, Coolidge shot back, "You lose." Now that's laconic wit. - Like the ancient Spartans, the laconic speakers and writers of today are determined to use no more words than are necessary to get the point across, even at the risk of giving offense.

HETEROGENEOUS

Varied, composed of parts of different kinds, made up of unrelated or diverse elements, mixed, dissimilar, miscellaneous. - The opposite of heterogeneous is homogeneous, of the same or similar nature or kind. - The prefix homo‑ means same, similar, like, as in homosexual, attracted to the same sex; homogenize, to blend, make similar or homogeneous; and homonym, a word that is pronounced the same as another word but that has a different origin and meaning, such as fair and fare. - The prefix hetero‑means other, different, unlike, as in heterosexual, attracted to the other sex; heterodox, having an opinion different from the accepted opinion, the opposite of orthodox; and heterogeneous, varied, dissimilar, diverse, consisting of different elements or kinds.

ARDUOUS

Very difficult, hard to achieve or accomplish, requiring great effort. - "Compiling the annual report is an arduous task." "Raising children is an arduous responsibility." - Synonyms of arduous include strenuous, laborious, and toilsome.

EMOLUMENT

Wages, salary, payment received for work. - Synonyms of emolument include compensation, recompense, and remuneration, word 30 of Level 6. - Emolument comes from the Latin emolumentum, the fee a miller received for grinding grain, which comes in turn from the verb emolere, to grind out. By derivation, emolument means "that which is ground out by one's exertion." In the daily grind of the modern world, emolument has come to mean wages, pay, compensation for one's labor. Webster's New International Dictionary, second edition, notes that emolument "applies to whatever profits arise from office or employment, as 'the emoluments of a profession.'" - Now that you know the meaning of emolument, and also the keywords perquisite from Level 3 and commensurate from Level 6, I presume that the next time you consider a new position you will make sure that the perquisites are attractive and that the emolument is commensurate with your experience and ability.

OFFAL

Waste, garbage, refuse, rubbish. - Offal comes from Middle English and is a combination of the words off and fall. Originally the word applied to anything that fell off or was thrown off in the process of doing something—for example, wood chips in lumbering or carpentry, or the dross or scum that forms on the surface of molten metal. Since the early 1400s, offal has also been used of the waste parts removed in the process of butchering an animal. From that unsavory sense, the meaning of offal broadened to denote waste or garbage in general, anything thrown away as worthless. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare writes, "What trash is Rome? What rubbish, and what offal?" - Dictionaries still define offal as the waste parts, and especially the entrails, of a butchered animal, and if you are fond of sausages, as I am, I hope it won't disturb you to know that many of them are made from offal. - However, the more general definition of the word—trash, refuse, rubbish— is now probably more common. Today we dispose of our offal in sewers and landfills, and the offal of society gets sent to jail.

SPENDTHRIFT

Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one's resources: "His spendthrift habits will put the company out of business." - You may use spendthrift either as an adjective meaning wasteful, spending extravagantly, or as a noun to mean a wasteful person, someone who foolishly squanders money or resources: "There isn't a thrifty bone in his body. He's a gambler and a spendthrift to the core." - The words improvident, prodigal, profligate, and spendthrift all mean wasteful, spending thoughtlessly or squandering one's resources. - Improvident means literally not provident, not providing for the future; the improvident person does not save money for retirement or for a rainy day. - Prodigal is a close synonym of spendthrift and means spending money in a reckless or extravagant way, usually to support a lavish or luxurious lifestyle. In the Bible, the famous parable about the prodigal son tells of a young man who wasted his inheritance but was forgiven by his father. - Profligate means extremely prodigal or spendthrift; it refers specifically to a person who spends money with reckless abandon and lives a life shamelessly devoted to pleasure: a profligate Hollywood movie star who squandered his fortune in exclusive nightclubs and casinos. - Spendthrift means wasteful, spending extravagantly: "The taxpayers want a more efficient and less spendthrift government."

VOLITION

Will, choice, decision, determination. - In Latin, the verb velle means to will or wish, and the word volo means "I will." From these words comes the English noun volition, which may refer either to the power of using the will or the act of exercising it in making a conscious choice or decision. - "He seems to lack volition" implies that he is weak and unable to make a choice or determination. "She came of her own volition" implies that she exercised her will independently, decided on her own to come.

JUDICIOUS

Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment. - Synonyms of judicious include sensible, levelheaded, prudent, and discreet. Antonyms include thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous, and temerarious. - Judicious comes through the Latin judicium, judgment, from judex, a judge. Judex and the Latin verb judicare, to judge, pass judgment, are also the source of the English words judge, judgment, judicial, pertaining to a judge or to a judgment, and judiciary, judges collectively or the judicial branch of government. - As long as we're passing judgment on all these words, here's a spelling tip: Everyone knows the word judge has an e at the end, but many Americans don't seem to realize that there is no e in the middle of the word judgment. The British prefer to retain this medial e and spell the word judgement. The preferred American spelling, however, is judgment. - Our keyword, judicious, means having or showing sound judgment. A judicious decision is a wise and careful decision. A judicious course of action is a sensible, levelheaded, prudent course of action.

SAGACIOUS

Wise, shrewd, perceptive; showing sound judgment and keen insight, especially in practical matters. - Synonyms of sagacious include insightful, discerning, astute, judicious, percipient, sage, sapient, and perspicacious. - Antonyms of sagacious include undiscriminating, undiscerning, simpleminded, witless, inane, gullible, credulous, obtuse, and addlepated. - The corresponding noun is sagacity, wisdom, shrewdness, keen insight or discernment. - Sagacious comes from the Latin sagax, having keen senses, especially a keen sense of smell. In its early days in the language, sagacious was used of hunting dogs to mean quick in picking up a scent. That sense is long obsolete. By 1755, when Samuel Johnson published his famous dictionary, sagacious had come to mean, as Johnson puts it, "quick of thought; acute in making discoveries." To illustrate the expanded sense, Johnson quotes the philosopher John Locke: "Only sagacious heads light on these observations, and reduce them into general propositions." Over the years since then, sagacious continued to acquire dignity, perhaps by association with the adjective sage, which means having or showing great wisdom. Today, says the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, sagacious "connotes prudence, circumspection, discernment, and farsightedness." - That's a far cry from the hunting hounds of yore. Yet, as those words reveal, a faint odor of quick‑sniffing canine instinct still clings to the word. In current usage, the sagacious person is no brooding scholar or musing philosopher but a shrewd, sharp‑eyed, keen‑witted person who displays instinctive wisdom, swift insight, and sound judgment regarding mundane or practical matters. Thus we do not speak of a sagacious treatise on the meaning of life, but rather of a sagacious comment on human nature, a shrewd lawyer who asks sagacious questions, or a business executive known for making sagacious decisions—in other words, wise and keenly perceptive decisions.

PROLIX

Wordy and tiresome, long‑winded and boring, verbose, using far too many and a great deal more words than are necessary and essential to get the point, such as the point may be, across, despite the fact that... All right, already! Now that was a prolix definition if you ever saw one—not to mention redundant. - Challenging synonyms of prolix include circumlocutory, tautological, and pleonastic. - Antonyms of prolix include concise, terse, pithy, succinct, and sententious. - Prolix comes from the Latin prolixus, widely extended. Prolix applies to longwinded speech or writing that is tediously discursive, desultory, or protracted. If someone in a meeting talks on and on in a monotonous, boring way, that person is being prolix.

VERBOSE